Help me out of a music rut!

I'm in a music rut and I need your help.  Life is getting busy and a bit difficult these days (hello, 9 month old who now refuses food from a bowl!).  Aside from my hubby and prayer, music helps me persevere and even get motivated.  Or the tunes at least help to distract me.

The "iT.unes Effect" has taken over the music industry, to my great delight.  What a relief to buy one song at a time instead of a whole album.  During my teenage years, I remember feeling held hostage to buying a $17 CD on which was only one song I wanted.  Singles were equally exorbitant.  A couple of years ago while at my parents' house, I discovered a long-lost single from my junior high days.  For those of you younger than 27, this contraption is called a Record!

So now that we don't have to worry about CDs and the like, I tend to randomly find songs and listen to them incessantly on my iPod.  Then I don't listen to songs on the radio as much in order to find new songs.  Sure, every once in a while I find a cool song via commercials (a trend I think will continue) or TV shows.  One of my favorite bad/sad mood songs, "Breathe," I stumbled on while watching VH1.  That song helped me through rough infertility treatments and my C-Section prep.  The music video is very poignant.

If you would like to help me, please list your favorite(s) in the following categories. No gangsta rap or death metal, please. :)

1.  Favorite song to listen to over and over.
2.  Favorite romantic song
3.  Favorite Christian song
4.  Favorite song to listen to in a bad mood or life struggle
5.  Favorite workout/running song
6.  The "I can't believe I like this song but it's on my iPod anyway" category.

Looking at my iPod, my favorites are:

1.  "NilSenLa" by Cel.tic Women
2.  "You Raise Me Up" (first dance at our wedding)
3.  "Alive Again" by Mat.t Ma.her (although there are many other Christian favorites)
4.  "Breathe" by Ry.an Sta.r
5.  "Magdahlena" Ser.gio Mendes
6.  "Breakthrough" by Lemonade Mouth (yeah, Di.sney cha.nnel movie.  I admit it.)

I look forward to reading your suggestions and maybe adding them to my music library!

An Update in Pictures

At the end of July/beginning of August, our little family traveled to the West Coast for a family reunion and catch up with friends in Sacramento.  The trip included a lovely excursion to Monterey.  KB enjoyed the wet sand and the wind in her hair.  My hubby and I also marked 5 years of marriage on July 29.

The view from our room at Asilomar.

My cousins and I explored some of the tide pools.

To celebrate our anniversary, my hubby and I took a sailboat ride around Monterrey Bay.  A sailboat ride has always been on his "bucket list."  We saw lots of jellyfish, seals, dolphins, and even a couple of sea otters.

Monterey is still cold in the summer, so it seemed oxymoronic to stand by a fireplace in July!

Carmel Mission, my favorite and one of the most beautiful of the 21 California Missions.

We actually saw blue sky on our last day in Monterey.

KB's first trip to See's Candies.  Ahh, those shops smell so good!

KB's first trip to InNOut Burger. Don't worry, she's just chewing on the straw, not drinking the ice tea. :)

Martha's Miracle

Why not start out the day with some good news?  A Martha Trying to Be Mary has adopted a beautiful baby boy.  Congratulations!

A Baptism at Last and Back in the Saddle

Ah, summertime.  We took a 2-week vacation to my California home, so I apologize for the silence in the blog room. My next post will show and tell of the highlights, including a sailboat ride! yea.  Honestly, I think Summer 2011 has been our busiest on record.

Anyway, longtime readers of my blog may remember my friend K, who has 3 babies in heaven (most recently in June 2010).  She gave birth to healthy twin boys in May and they were baptized three weeks ago.  It was such a joy to behold K and her husband holding two babies dressed in white, surrounded by family and friends.  Nearly a year ago, the same family and friends had stood with them in sorrow, beholding the tiny coffin of their daughter, who died at 12 (?) weeks.  We had also gathered to say farewell to their other two babies in the previous years. Those funerals always confounded me:  This isn't right.  They should be holding their baby in their arms, not seeing him/her lay lifeless in a coffin.  (These are the moments when I greatly dislike God's will).


I am so thrilled that God has turned their immense sorrow into joy.  K has also used her sorrowful experiences to reach out to others.  As the priest said to K and her husband, "Many people have been aching for you for this day to come."  I think of the many IF sisters in the blogosphere and beyond (particularly one in Boston :) ) who are still aching.  Many of us are aching for you, too.  May God turn your sorrow into joy someday.

Quick Takes Friday: Slacker Edition

I'm surfing the turbulent waves of an 8-month old whose naps have gotten way too short and a heat wave.

1.  Our part of the country is sharing in the "fun" of the recent heat waves. The pool has become my favorite place to beat the heat.  Thankfully, KB likes the water.

2.  I understand the kind intentions of the word, "Stew.ardship."  But that word has become SO overused.

3.  My husband and I will celebrate our 5-year anniversary next week.  I can't believe how quickly time has flown!

4.  Self-serve frozen yogurt chains are all the rage here.

5.  My spiritual director totally rocks.  He was once married, got an annulment, became a permanent deacon, and recently was ordained a priest.  He also has a daughter.  Needless to say, he can relate to MANY of the family struggles.

6.  All ye who hate processed foods, turn away. :)  I bought some pizza dough balls at S.am's Clu.b and used one to make a delicious calzone last night.  By using sauce in a can, frozen peppers and onions, cooked steak, and 3 kinds of cheese, it made a remarkably fast meal.

7.  #6 is an accomplishment as my creativity in the kitchen has waned considerably since KB arrived.

Have a great weekend!!

A Tactile and Musical Legacy

Once again, I've been the ever-missing blogger, attempting in vain to get a grip on time management.  So I'm sort of making up for it with TWO posts in one day.  Oooo.  Anyway, it was a blessing to attend my grandma's funeral last month.  Instead of mourning her passing, I rejoiced that God had finally taken her home after such a long illness.  Still, I'm sad to not have a lot of tactile memories of her.  And given the fact I live a couple thousand miles from the cemetery, it will be hard to visit her grave.  My wonderful in-laws gave us a beautiful way to remember my grandma:

The windchimes even have a "Gregorian Chant" tone.  Not only does their sound resonate beautifully, they also remind me of my grandma's patio windchimes.  They often played in the summer breeze while we swam in the evenings. I'm glad for a way to remember my grandma and have a piece of her memory for KB to know.  My inlaws are from a small, close-knit community.  When a loved one dies, the friends and family often give items such as blankets, potted plants, windchimes, etc. to help the grieving family remember the deceased.  I'm grateful they shared their tradition with me. :)

 A few bloggers have posted prayer intentions lately.  If I may add to the list: Please pray for our friends whose mother died in a freak accident in Europe.

Have a wonderful weekend!

(KB is trying to match AYWH's family photo).

A new fertility monitor?

I saw this fertility device on the NCR's blog today.  Very interesting!