I Killed My First Bird

It was beautiful Saturday morning. Warm and sunny and definitely spring like. I was on my way up to Maryland to work on artwork for the album with my cousin Jeff, but I took a quick moment to change the license plates on my car to the newly acquired Virginia plates...it was when I walked around to the front that I saw the little guy... wedged in the front grill.... My first roadkill. It was bound to happen. I spend my days on the road dodging suicidal squirrels and flocks of sea gulls, swallows, you name it. In the evening I continually scan the edges of the road for any signs that deer may be questioning the safety of oncoming lights. 

Few things break my heart more than the unsuspecting animal laying by the side of the road. I change the channel whenever I hear a Sarah Mclachlan tune start up and I cannot stand to hear the war stories of fellow travelers. So I did what any 30 year old does. I asked my dad to take care of it, started crying, and waited for the evidence to be gone as I sniffled off to the side. And then I spent the next two hours of driving sad and morose.

Odds are high this will happen again.....especially since just this morning I stopped and waited for a squirrel to decide which side of the road he wanted to be on.....

#TBT Sean

I found out this week that one of my first friends in college passed away about a year and a half ago. Something came up on facebook that caused me to click over to his page where I started scrolling through tags and messages that read along the lines of "still miss you... wish you were here." It was an all too familiar stomach sink as I kept scrolling down, letting the page refresh with updates that were older....until I got to the ones that Sean himself wrote from a hospital bed, back in 2012. Shortly before those were the posts from family...thanking everyone for their support. From what I could gather, Sean was in a bad car wreck and later developed a blood clot that led to his death. 

Sean was one of the first people I met the day I walked on to campus. The praise team met for several days before classes started, to begin learning songs and bonding as a group. I was there for vocals, Sean played bass and was the unofficial, laid back leader. I spent a lot of time with Sean, Scott (the drummer), and Nathan (the guitarist) that year... learning about video games, taking midnight ihop runs, and being a nuisance together in all our religion classes. The three of them showed up to "advise" (or threaten) my date for the winter formal, taught me Irish drinking songs and spent many an evening theorizing life, music, and faith. I adored those boys. 

Since we both lived in Northern Virginia, Sean became my ride back and forth to school. He let me bring my goldfish in its little travel case and get fishy water all over his car, and I would close my eyes and let him drive 90mph up the 81 corridor praying we didn't get pulled over. It was a good friendship, but then again, Sean was friends with everyone, his go with the flow spirit easy to mesh with. He introduced me to Dashboard Confessional and other emo bands... it's a bit like he was an early version of a hipster at the time....ok, maybe not.

That spring semester, Sean left Ferrum, tired of classes and the structure... I saw him on and off over the years when he would drop in to visit for a weekend. Then I graduated and moved around. Alot. But I caught back up with Sean in 2010, when I started leading worship at a church plant. Sean was working at The Soundry, a music/artist co-op space with all sorts of events and concerts that was also in the area. I played an open mic there, which Sean himself hosted, and we spent some time catching up. I even had him come play bass at the church with me, to fill in a few weeks when the other guy wasn't available.  Then I moved to Colorado, back to Virginia, out to Indiana... and we didn't stay in touch. Sean was actually on my list of people to reconnect with since being back...  I called Nathan (the guitarist) tonight. Back in college he was the mechanic with the long ponytail, who smoked, wore all black, and chewed tobacco...now he's settled into a marriage with a combo of his own/stepkids and is a pastor of 2 little churches in the middle of nowhere that love him dearly. He hadn't heard about Sean either. But we reminisced about the good ole days down in the mountains and the friend we both grieve.

Sean was crazy full of life. He played music, loved people and loved Jesus. I read today that somewhere in the vicinity of 300 friends came to his funeral. That's not your average funeral dinner capacity. But that's who Sean was. Far from average. Far from normal. This special brand of person. Unique. Comedic. Grounded yet a disorganized mess. A man who touched the lives of those around him. I may be a year and a half late on this, but Sean...rest in peace, you are loved.

The Worst Songwriting Lecture I've Ever Heard

I took a songwriting class a few years back, where the teacher obviously didn't want to be there....his thoughts were fragmented, there was no set plan, and sometimes in the middle of a "lecture", he would pause, tell everyone to take a five minute break and class would stop while he figured out what was coming next.Our teacher happened to be an amazing, well-known songwriter and I was excited to learn from his experience and wisdom. But his theory, as he explained to us, was that songwriting couldn't be taught, you either had it or you didn't. Not the most encouraging way to engage students, but certainly one way to look at artistry....I guess. :o This "mini" talk, has stuck with me ever since and is the perfect reflection of that class:

Being a songwriter is like a clock. You start at midnight with a great idea, and you are on fire with what you are writing. It feels like the best idea ever and you can't believe you came up with it. The clock hand shifts down closer to the 3, and you think, yeah, I've still got something worthwhile to work with. This could be really good. By 6 o'clock, you're second guessing why you ever wrote it in the first place, no one is going to want to hear it. By 9 o'clock, you doubt you will ever write anything ever again....be it good or awful.... Eventually you make it back to midnight.

Luckily that class was saved by several guest teachers who were passionate about people writing songs and sharing practical ways in which one can develop the "craft" of songwriting. One guy (another extremely well-known worship songwriter) said, "I hate that I'm only here one day. I know you all have songs and it would be amazing to hear them all."

What's the best/worst advice you've ever heard about something you are passionate about learning?

Snow at the Beach

I think we can all agree that it is time for winter to be done and spring to arrive bringing warmer weather and pretty flowers. But since we are currently "iced in" here at Colonial Beach, I thought I would share some frosty wonderland photos Nate and I took at our last "big" snow here...which was maybe 2-3 inches? (I know, we don't have much room to complain!)

Neighbor dog Sam is a huge fan of the snow..

.The snow completely covered the sand....

Which made it a great place to run...

And we NEEDED to take this huge chunk of snow...

But that became too heavy...

So we ended up with only this...

Oh well, it was a fun walk....

#TBT Pranking My Boss

#TBT- the posts I never got around to writing....enjoy :o While I lived in Indiana, I was in a bit of a prank war with my boss. In fact, when new staff were hired, I would often ask them if they would like to choose a side or would like to remain Switzerland. Most remained neutral. 

Now the background to all of this is from day one, my boss's trademark line was, "Never be the source of my surprise." While this struck fear in my heart many a time over un(maybe)important work details, I also was prone to interpret his saying as "Only be the source of my surprise if you are willing to accept the consequences"....I mean, that's what he REALLY was saying, right?

I prefer more planned out and "intelligent" pranks, ones that didn't interrupt work, but made a very distinct point....like the time I went to pilfer cookies from his drawer to find the hiding place empty. I simply left a note that said, "Someone needs to buy MORE COOKIES." That one got quite a rise "NO COOKIES!?!??!" and a door slam. My "boss" happened to prefer the "tie everything up with fishing line and wait for me to get mad" pranks....which I would just ignore. 

These are in no particular order....

The Stumbling Block He gave a devotional during staff meeting centered around us not being stumbling blocks for one another. So that afternoon, I took a box, labelled it "stumbling block", and left it outside his office. 

Hopscotch He had knee surgery. His first day back he came into the office to find a hopscotch game taped to the floor.

Day of Ross 2013 This was to celebrate his May 2nd birthday, and probably the first and biggest day of "surprises" we pulled off. It all centered around one of those b-list celebrity recorded birthday calls where the closet option to a name we could use was "Ross". So we printed up banners, blew up balloons, and made a nuisance of ourselves all day. And we only had 7 hours notice that his birthday was the next day...so I'd say we did an excellent job.And really friends, only amateurs remove all the chairs to your office, but only put them down the hall, or tape up desks with duct tape. You know your friends, family, and coworkers the best, so plan accordingly and then HIDE!

Now I realize that not all work situations allow for this sort of "nonsense", so I will firmly deny any endorsing of pranking in the workplace. But right after I'll probably try to hide around the corner and scare someone as they come down the hall...I did that one too....almost gave him a heart attack...right before a REALLY important finance meeting.

Photos for the Album!

A couple of weeks ago, I headed down to Roanoke, VA to meet up with an old friend, Brianne, to do a photo session for the album. Brianne interned at the New Life School of Worship the year I attended and since then has done many things, including getting married and moving to Virginia! She's a fantastic photographer, great at giving direction and poses. The journey of this album, "Coming Home to You", has taught me so much. All of this time and energy is poured out in the writing, recording, producing....and then there's still photos, design, eventual marketing....eek! So I wanted my photos to be in a place I love, that felt comfortable....and moseying on down to the blue ridge felt right.

We somehow found the only weekend where the previous snow had melted and next wasn't set to fall for another few days, AND the temps were in the mid-high 40's, which gave us a perfect afternoon to wander the streets. I met Brianne and her husband Paul on the top of a parking garage to take photos with a few mountains in the distance.

From there we spent some time meandering around brick buildings and a couple of alleys.

We finished up with some photos at the Hotel Roanoke, a gorgeous hotel where my own parents spent their wedding night...so romantic! My only claim to that place is getting to shower there once while leading worship at a nearby church for a youth retreat in college...but that's another story. :o

Here's a little "behind the scenes" action...thanks Paul!

We'll use one of these photos to create the artwork for the album. I've sent a few over to my cousin who will be helping with all that graphic design magic stuff.

Here are the frontrunners....

And this one is in first place....for now...

I would love to know your thoughts...which one is your favorite and should be on the album?

The Disney Cruise My Family Loved and I Survived

So I made it out on the other side...and was the only one who stood up from breakfast the last morning with a smile on my face and a skip to my step.

Nana took nine of us on a five-day Disney cruise, and we ranged in age from 2-81...whew! We had only boys with us, so way less picture taking with princesses and dancing and way more playing like pirates and throwing around glow sticks. Even if I'm personally not a fan of boats, constant motion, crowded pool decks, and beaches, it was fun to see the rest of the family excited and having fun. And other than one 24 hour doped up period of time on the "less drowsy" dramamine, I at least "experienced" what the Disney Wonder had to offer. 

Highlights!

In Cozumel, I ventured on an adults only excursion to the Mayan ruins of San Gervasio, a tequila tasting (all I remember is a lot of counting down and shouting :o), and an authentic mexican lunch (guacamole!). 

The four course dinner every night with the fantastic serving team of "Popcorn" (nickname) and Vishal. The Disney cruise line is unique in that you rotate dining rooms nightly and your servers move with you. After learning that Nate loved bacon, they served him a heaping plate of it every night. Even when Vishal tried to put in a smaller order, we found out that Nate had become known among the galley chefs as "bacon boy" and the pound of bacon came again!

Mickey Bars. whenever. from room service. These things cost like five dollars at Disney World. They are amazing.

Our second stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We got to feed, touch and snorkel with stingrays....incredible. Also incredible is that there are 72 female stingrays there and only one male...and his name is Mr. Buttons.

The fact that my beautiful and strong grandmother spent her 81st birthday surrounded by family in an amazing place with better food than anything we could ever cook!

Spending time with these sweet faces.

So in conclusion, I am one and done. No more cruises for me, although I have offered my chauffeuring skills to the airport for any family that would like to head down to the Caribbean again....

Will You Be My Friend?

Colonial Beach is a unique little river town. Moving here in January is not necessarily the best time for friend-making....everything sort of takes a sabbatical after the holidays...and most places are shut down until the summer season. So I've been looking "outside the box" for ways to meet some people, get involved, and maybe, just maybe, make a friend.

February 1st, the day after my 30th birthday...I headed over to a local museum where they were holding a training for potential volunteers. What should have been a talk in hospitality and procedures, actually was an hour long lecture on the history of the Navy in America complete with wordy power point slides. After the hour was up, one of the other attendees asked, "Now what is it you will be wanting the volunteers to do?" Moral of the story....they don't quite know yet, but I did learn the handy little fact that the term "de-bugging" came from the Dahlgren Navy Base here on the Northern Neck. Because a real bug had to be pulled out of one of those room size computation machines. The bug is taped in the logbook, housed at the Smithsonian in DC...true story.

Out of the ten-twelve people there, most were well past retirement, which only served to make myself and one other gal stand out. We walked out together afterwards and laughed about our expectations as to what the "training" would/should/could have been. I shared that I had just recently moved to the area and loved history, while she said she had heard about the training because she worked on the base and wanted to see what it was like. There was a moment where we almost parted ways....probably to never meet again, when I, in typical Amy fashion blurted out, "Since I just moved here, and I don't have any friends, do you want to be my friend?" AND if that wasn't enough I continued on to say, "We are having my birthday dinner at the house tonight, do you want to come?"

I don't necessarily recommend this as the best way to gain new friendships....but luckily for me, this time, it worked. She came to dinner! And got along fabulously among the friends and family we had over. And since then I've been going to Trivia night with her friends which happens at a local pizzeria the next town over...FTW! Although, I'm definitely NOT helpful when it comes to trivia...oh well.

I hope that Rebecca and I are friends for a very long time so we can always look back and laugh at the first day of friendship. The one where she went to a birthday party of a complete stranger and brought a card that said, "Wishing all your dreams come true" because once she ruled out all the "I value our friendship so much" cards there wasn't much left. Yay for new friends!