The first time I heard Riverdance I was captivated.  One because I LOVE tap, and this kind of dance is close enough, and two because I love Celtic music.  Oh I love it.  I listen to my Riverdance soundtrack A LOT.  And even if I have in on in the background of my day; while I am working, while I am cleaning, while I am cruising around the Internet, my heart stirs.  Something about the music and the sound of the dance stirs me up.  On the particular clip that I included for today someone commented that their feet don't have rhythm but their heart does.  That about sums it up for me too!  I am completely without rhythm but my heart takes flight when I hear good music.  Books without pictures and music without words will allow your imagination and heart to take flight.  Reel Around the Sun

It started innocently enough.  I spied a cassette tape on my brother's bedroom floor and picked it up.  It looked good so I popped it in my cassette player and pushed play.  I haven't been the same since for it is when the OBSESSION began.  Yes, obsession.  Oh it's healthy, I haven't like stalked the man or anything but his lyrics and guitar playing are IT for me.  And yes, Lanny knows.  It was an unspoken in our wedding vows that no matter if we were richer or poorer that if Steven Curtis Chapman was in Colorado we would be attending that concert!  So far, that has held true.  And yes, I own every single album he has ever made.  :)  The title track really caught my heart when I first started listening to this album (way, way, way back!).  "More to This Life".  There is more to this life than what you or I see right in front of us.  We see just a small pixel (ha, I just went all techno - or something - on you guys!)  and God sees all the pixels together to

I'm a BIG lyrics girl.  Before the music intrigues me the lyrics have to speak to me.  And this is one of those songs.  The first time I heard it, I mean really heard it, I cried.  It is MY heart's cry and frankly I'm relived to know I'm not the only one who cries to God with these sentiments.  Solomon in Ecclesiastes lamented that life was meaningless, meaningless, meaningless.  He was afraid of the nothingness of life, the pursuits that end up meaning nothing in the long run.  Afraid of giving partial effort and the regret that comes because of that choice down the road.  When God has given us the ability to give our all it is not okay to only give partially.  It leads to complacency.  Going through the motions.  You've done it and so have I.  Sometimes we go through the motions at our job, just getting through the day and not really investing in the tasks at hand.  Sometimes we go through the motions at church, just getting through the service with our "

Of course I had to do a song that is my name!  That's a given!  :)  I first heard of and heard Beth in High School when I was dating a musician.  So it goes without saying that of course he would sing this song to me every so often.  And really when I hear the song I very easily see how this could be my life had I stayed with that person or had my husband continued on with his band.  I love this song for its music.  Regardless of what I may personally think about Kiss they are great musicians and I appreciate good music just as much as I do good lyrics.  Now.  What do I think about Kiss?  I think they are hysterical.  It's brilliant what they ended up doing.  My husband has seen them first row in their early days and still talks about those concerts to this day because of how brilliant they are in their performance and music.  We've watched a few episodes of "Family Jewels", a reality show featuring Gene Simmons and his family and after seeing him off a stage

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love. Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood. O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be! Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. (Robert Robinson 1758) There is much I could say about this hymn.  I just love it.  LOVE IT.  But for sake of time I'm going to pick a few phrases that really grab me every time I hear it

Mikaela and I went to the Denver Art Museum today and I found myself singing Photograph while we were driving home.  It has to be the song for today!  I think I was singing it because we ended our trip to the museum in the Photography wing.  Makes sense! ;)  The first time I heard Def Leppard I was in 7th grade and they hit the U.S. big with "Pour Some Sugar on Me".  Didn't know what the song meant then, know what it means now so you'll never see it land on this experiment! 'Nuf said. :) But what that song did was introduce me to Def Leppard and I fell in love with their music.  I even went backwards to listen to their albums that were made before I even knew they existed.  Photograph would be one of those songs that stuck.  A few years ago Lanny and I were watching a documentary on Def Leppard and they were talking in depth about this song and why they wrote it.  Actually the video explains it pretty good.  Around the time they composed the song some killer ha

Ever thought about the power of presence?  I've heard the phrase "commanding presence" and it can be a good or bad thing depending on how the person appropriating that presence chooses to behave.  I've been in social situations before where the room is taken over by someone who has an infectious presence and is the "life of the party".  The presence of people we love is missed when they are gone.  Presence is powerful.   Maybe you believe in God, maybe not but this song talks about the powerful presence of God.  He is a commanding and infectious presence.  Get a taste of him and you need more.  In his presence there is a comfort that can not be described with words, an empowerment that can only come through supernatural means, that which seems impossible becomes possible, what is broken down is restored, and so much more.  It's a mystery that slowly reveals itself as you spend more and more time in the presence of the Creator of all.  And yet it remai

Oh I love me some Garth Brooks! I started listening to Garth about my Senior year of High School. Lyrically he's got some great songs and musically, well, I'll confess now...I love a good dose of country music! I have this memory of the summer after my High School graduation at work and the area where I worked we had the country music station on and every so often - probably when Boot Scootin ' Boogie would come on - one of my co-workers would get up and do this dance that was hysterical. White boy trying to bring forth any kind of rhythm from his bones! AHAHAHAHA ! I love many of Garth's songs - it's hard to pick just one so expect to see him show up again in the next year! This song I love because of the challenge to live life fully and without fear of risks. Living life in a bubble isn't really a life lived. And when I saw the actual video for this song I was moved - I can think of a lot of inspiring people and those kids and adults who go above an

Man does this song make me happy! When I was younger my Dad would sometimes play an Alabama cassette (man am I old! HA!) while we were driving. Most often at night we would be traveling back home, and in the summer the windows would be rolled down and the mountain breeze would be blowing through the car, and this song would come on and our family would come alive! About 3:15 into the song it goes into this instrumental hoedown and each of us would pick an instrument to air play and we would go nuts! I mean we must have looked like a bunch of crazies air playing our instruments and singing at the top of our lungs. Every time I hear this song I start giggling uncontrollably and I can close my eyes and see my brothers and I, squished together in the back seat, going nuts on our instruments and singing ourselves hoarse. What I wouldn't give for a repeat of that! I hope you have fun listening in! Dixieland Delight

The first time I remember hearing this song was in High School. My brother, Paul, was in a production at his High School (yep, we went to separate schools) and the finale of the production was this song and my brother playing the harmonica during part of it. It brings back such good and fun memories and every time I hear this song I smile and first think of my brother on stage playing that harmonica (that he didn't know how to play and just picked it up one day and learned!). I'm a big lyrics person (must be the writer in me) and even the lyrics of this song have captured my attention for years. If we are on the highway of life then we have to travel with the road, not against it. And it's always easier to travel those roads with a friend by your side. This song just makes me happy! And I've included the version that has one of my fave bands, Rascal Flatts , singing it for the movie "Cars". How could you not be happy singing along to that?!? ( Btw ,

I thought this was a good song for a Monday! I find myself humming this song a lot. My girls have heard me sing it, perhaps some of you have as well. When I was a little girl my mom had a whole bunch of 45's ( pre -CD for you youngn's ) and one that we just about wore out by listening to so much was The Music Machine. What a story! My imagination would come to life as I listened to the words and the songs. When I graduated from Kindergarten our class did the musical The Music Machine as our ceremony. A girl named Emily and I sang about one of the Fruits of the Spirit. That's as far as my memory goes but it could have been the Patience song. Such a simple song and a simple message but the truth of it is LOUD and CLEAR! Have patience! Chances are someone has been or is waiting on you so extend the grace of patience to others! Don't be in such a hurry! When did we get to be so hurried that we missed life? Do you realize that is what happens when we rush throu

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace. When we've been here ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we've first begun. John Newton (1725-1807) knew the depths of Amazing Grace. A slave ship owner he lived a life of depravity. Beating men & raping women. And then he was found by God. His rescue changed his life a

It started with a friend who decided she was going to watch one movie a day for a whole year. And not only watch it but "review" it. She got the idea from watching "Julie & Julia" but who can really commit to cooking all the way through Julia Child's cookbook?!? Nobody with kids and you'll note that Julie didn't have kids. So she decided on movies. One a day - some she has seen, some she has not. It got me thinking, could I? Could I be disciplined enough to do something - ANYTHING! - for 365 days? No breaks, no excuses? My first ambitious thought was to workout. I mean how great would that be to workout every single day for a year! And then reality smacked me upside the head. What if I got the flu? Traveling? Can't do the workout for a year and besides you might get sick of reading day after day something like, "Thought I was going to die today but only ended up puking." HA! So after throwing around ideas with said friend