I (Heart) Denton

As I mentioned in yesterday's Life Well Lived post, I had the pleasure of spending a very lovely Thursday evening on the square in my hometown of Denton, Texas last week for Twilight Tunes.  I had plans to meet up with Rachel and Brittany and some other friends, but I got there a bit early. I wasn't the only one who wanted to enjoy a beautiful, mild evening with some great music provided by the Andrew Tinker band....

As I sat by myself up near the band (if you look closely, you can see me in the above photo...black shirt, jeans, army green hat...), I started thinking about how lucky I am to live in such a great little city, full of so many artistic outlets and talented people.

All around me, people of all ages were sitting in camping chairs or on blankets or just on the grassy lawn of the courthouse square, grooving and nodding to the incredible music.  Children were running around, hoping to get as close as possible to the band before an observant parent came up and grabbed them.  People brought picnic dinners, bottles of wine and plastic cups, or take-out boxes from the locally owned restaurants within walking distance.

This was my first experience hearing Andrew Tinker and his band and oh. my. goodness.  I've since purchased their album, "It Takes the World," but even as much as I enjoy the CD and have listened to it almost nonstop for the past few days, it's nothing compared to experiencing these musicians LIVE.

I was genuinely impressed.  When you live in an artistically thriving area such as the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and in a small town with a nationally-renowned music program, everyone and their mother plays an instrument...is in a band...has a gig...you get the idea.  It can be easy to get a bit jaded and wary when someone says "Oh you should come check out my band."  But every once in a while, I find myself truly blown away by the talent that I'm surrounded with on a daily basis in this area.

The Andrew Tinker band did just that.  Once my friends arrived, obviously my attention was turned to catching up, chatting, and enjoying the music as ambient sound...but for those 30 minutes or so that I was alone, I was able to focus completely on the music being performed in front of me.

It was just a wonderful evening with amazing friends and some kick-ass music.  It was refreshing.  Lately, I've felt an ache in my heart for the bustling cities of Boston and New York, and I've been feeling very homesick for the northeast. 

But that night, I was reminded just how lucky and blessed I am to live in a city like Denton, Texas. At the risk of sounding cheesy and dramatic...it was just a magical evening.  I went to bed so very happy and fulfilled that night. 

Denton?  I heart you. So very much.

*please note that all photos in this post, minus the one directly above this disclaimer, were taken by my friend Jim Wall.*

Life Well-Lived, Vol. 2

Today is the second installment of "Life Well Lived" started by my pal Kelsey! Every Wednesday, she encourages everyone to blog about the things in life, small or huge or anywhere in between, that make you joyful, that make you thankful...anything that makes your life WELL LIVED.  Also, you can now follow @MyLifeWellLived on Twitter!  Follow and post with the hashtag #LifeWellLived and let's make this go viral!

Now for today's installment:

1. I have been paid to do my HOBBY.

Getting a paycheck for performing is not a prerequisite for me.  I perform because I can't not perform.  It's a part of who I am and I love it.  Most often, I do it for free.  However, the occasional paycheck is not only a nice bonus to the ol' bank account, but it makes you stop and think, "Holy crap! I just got PAID to do what I LOVE!"  This is a photo of me with my first ever paycheck from doing theatre.  I was super stoked!

2. I did the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure.

3 Days. 60 miles.  All in an effort to find a cure for breast cancer. These 3 days were some of the most intense of my life, and I will NEVER forget this experience.  Having one of my best friends with me was icing on the cake.  Read about the whole experience here. I'm probably going to do a 5k or two this year, but I definitely hope to try the 3-Day again another year. 

3. I have met and shaken hands with a politician.

During my last year living in Boston, the company for whom I worked made a huge stride in its field, and at one of our events, the governer of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, spoke.  He made the rounds and spoke to lots of employees, and was a very kind man. 

4. I have sat outdoors with friends and listened to some amazing local music.

(photo by Jim Wall)

I occasionally weep and wail about how much I miss Boston and New York, but man...I sure do love my hometown.  Every Thursday in May and June there is live music on the square, and last week I sat with Rachel and a few other good friends, ate some delicious treats and listened to the amazing music of the Andrew Tinker Band.  I'll blog more about this tomorrow, but evening like this definitely make my Life Well Lived.

Now, it's your turn!  Post 3-5 things that you think make your life well lived, and shoot Kelsey an email and let her know! 

Taking the Plunge - the 30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 1

Yet another blogging idea I found over at Kelsey's place. It seems that there are lots of "30-Day _______ Challenges" popping up all over the interwebs.  Over on Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr I've seen the 30-Day Music Challenge, the 30-Day Photo Challenge and the 30-Day Movie Challenge.  So it should come as no surprise that there's now a 30-Day Blog Challenge I've stumbled upon. 

I really suck at these, actually.  The only one I've actually started AND finished was the 30-Day Photo Challenge.  I can't promise I'll even finish this one, and I can promise you that I will NOT do these on 30 consecutive days...that part is a fact.  But, it will give me something to blog about on days where I want to blog, have time to blog...but have nothing to blog about. 

So without further ado:



Day 1: Your Current Relationship

Well, that's awfully broad.  I suppose I can be pretty simple about this.  I'm married to a wonderful, funny, kind, and super-dorky-in-the-best-way man named Michael.  We've been together for almost 10 years.  Here's the first picture we ever took together:

My goodness we look so much younger! 

He is an opera singer.  Yep!  He's really freakin talented, too.  He has a Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory, and I find him to be an incredible musician, teacher and singer. 

We got married on September 6th, 2008:



He is my very best friend.  He makes me laugh, roll my eyes, feel loved and beautiful...all those awesome things a good husband should do.  He's not hard on the eyes, either:

So, that's that!  My current relationship is, God-willing, the last relationship (romantic relationship anyway) I will ever be in!  

A Prayer for Parents

Today, I am thinking about my friends (the kind I have "in real life" and the kind I only know through Blogs and Twitter and such) who are parents, and I wanted to give them a shout-out.

Every day I get two devotional emails, one from Join the Journey and one from Girlfriends in God. Yesterday, I got the following from GiG, and it made me think about all my amazing friends who are either currently raising children or about to start that journey.  Allow me to share some of it (though, while it continues to refer to the Mom only, I think it applies to both parents!):

One mother with three active boys was playing cops and robbers in the back yard after dinner on a summer evening. One of the boys "shot" his mother and yelled, "Bang, bang you're dead." She slumped to the ground and when she didn't get up right away, a neighbor ran over to see if she had been hurt in the fall. As the neighbor bent over, the overworked mother opened one eye and said, "Shhh. Don't give me away. It's the only chance I get to rest."

Busy moms all need a break from time to time. Mothers need time to recharge, refuel, and refresh.

Even Jesus encouraged his disciples: "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31 NIV). He knew that we all need time to recharge, reflect, and refresh.

So mom, take a break today. Spend time with God and ask Him to fill your empty cup!

Pray:

Dear God, You know that parenting is a hard job. Thank you for allowing me the honor and privilege of being a mom. Thank You that I don't have to parent alone. You are right there with me all the time. I pray that You will refresh my soul today.

And if you are not a mom, then here's a prayer for you.

Dear God, I pray for my friend _________ today as she parents her child. Give her strength, courage and wisdom as she makes tough decisions. Fill her as she pours out for those kids. Show me how I can be a support and encouragement for her today.

To all my friends who are parents and parents-to-be: I think you are awesome, and I challenge myself to pray this prayer for you every day!

Life Well-Lived, Vol. 1

My good friend and fellow blogger, Kelsey, has recently been posting in a series called "Life Well Lived" every Wednesday.  I have been inspired by this, and have decided to start doing the same thing.

She describes it in this way:

For me, thinking about the things that I’ve experienced and being joyful for those moments, means more than reaching into a future that I can’t control.

Well said, Kelsey!  So, without further ado...here is my first Life Well Lived list:

1. I have graduated from college.

Sure, a lot of people have done this...but I was the first person in my family to get a college degree.  I'm very proud of this fact, and I hope to some day continue that list of firsts by being the first to get a Master's degree.  Now deciding on one...that's the tricky part.

2. I have held a newborn.

One of the most amazing things I've done in my life recently was hold my "niece" (she's my cousin's daughter, so she's not reeeeeeeeally my niece...but I'm Aunt Mandy to her, so we'll accept it) a few minutes after she was born.  A brand new, tiny, squirmy little life...just trying to keep her eyes open and figure out what the heck is going on.  My uterus fluttered a little bit when I was holding her in those first few minutes of her life.  Incredible feeling.

3. I have trashed a wedding dress...and was on The Today Show doing so.

When my wedding photographer, Lynn Michelle, was contacted about doing a Trash the Dress segment for the Today show, she called me and some friends up, and we jumped at the chance to do something FUN with our wedding gowns we knew we'd never wear again.  The segment also featured clips from MY VERY OWN wedding video!  Very, very cool.

4. I have bought a completely impractical dress...just because it was beautiful.

When I lost a lot of weight last year, I wanted to reward myself.  I paid more for this dress than I have ever spent on a non-formal (wedding, prom, bridesmaid, etc) dress.  I have worn it ONCE.  And I don't even care. I love it and I can't wait to have a chance to wear it again.  Kelsey was with me when I bought it!

Now, it's your turn!  Post 3-5 things that you think makes your life well lived, and shoot Kelsey an email and let her know! 

Who Am I This Time? (an existential rambling of sorts)

When I was in junior high/early high school and really starting to get into the "Drama Club" and beginning theatre arts classes, we did a short play called Who Am I This Time? I don't remember anything about it.  I even looked it up on Google and Wikipedia yesterday and any information I found on it was absolutely unhelpful and unfamiliar to me.  Maybe I just sat by the tape recorder for that one and hit play for the handful of sound cues we might have had.  Maybe I just spent the time crushing hard on one of the stage crew boys. I have no idea why I don't remember anything about it.

But I remember the title.

And it's been stuck in my head as this blog post has been brewing.  I've noticed that the most popular Bloggers and Tweeters (is it okay to call them that? I have no idea what the alternative is...) have a definite identity about them. My own favorites are usually specific to one genre or area of "expertise," if you will.  They are musicians or Healthy Living/Fitness aficionados or spiritual leaders or comedians...you get the idea.

I find myself leaning towards those different areas of my life at different times with my "online persona."  Sometimes I will go weeks only tweeting and blogging about performing.  Other times I get on a kick with my goals for a healthier lifestyle.  Sometimes I'm just plain old Mandy, tweeting and blogging about my day-to-day life at work/home or out with friends or in front of my television with a book and a puppy in my lap.

Sometimes I feel like this makes me look flaky to others... 

But....why do I allow this to stress me out?  I guess we'll call it that age-old desire to be liked and accepted by anyone and everyone -- even strangers.  There are days when I shake my fists at the heavens and cry out "WHY?!  Why do I caaaaaaaaaaaare?"  (Okay so maybe not quite that melodramatic.) 

But then I remember...I am me.  I am wonderfully made.  I am not one particular thing or another.  I can't adhere to one certain identity because I am...quite simply...not that simple.

I am so many things:

A Performer and Music Lover

An aspiring runner and Healthy Living advocate

A Christian

A Goofball

A Wife and Mommy



A Nerd

A Reader

A Sports Fan

A Friend

I am grateful and thankful that I cannot be easily placed into one category or another. 

I praise the fact that I am a bit complicated and unpredictable at times. 

I value the variety and diversity of interests, and am striving to add more to the list. 

Not being easily defined is, when you stop and think about it, a pretty awesome compliment. 

I am a Superhero

I will accomplish things today.

I love Picnik. I love that it's free but I can still play around with my photos. Since I *still* don't have an iPhone (and therefore don't have Instagram) and I'm wayyyy too broke for Photoshop or Lightroom, it allows me to play with my crappy Blackberry photos and make them look kinda fun.

I processed this photo this way today because I think it looks kind of like the newer superhero movies (300, that movie about that girl in the boarding school that's out now...whatever it's called) but also has this sort of look to it, which is kind of vintage-y:

Today? I will accomplish things. I will have a good day. I will run 3 miles. I will write 3 emails to people I haven't talked to in a while. I will tell someone I love them.

What will you accomplish today?