How to Start Running | Part 6: The iPod Edition

Part 1 | Adjusting Your Mind-Set

Part 2 | Getting Your Gear

Part 3 | Setting a Training Schedule

Part 4 | Avoiding Injury

Part 5 | Fuel & Nutrition
Part 6 | The Music Edition
Part 7 | Running FAQs

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Two things before we get started:

One: I just want to brag on myself and say that I am super impressed that I've taken this series into part SIX. Who knew I had so many things to say about running?

Two: On last week's post, I got the best comment ever! 

--->Molly said this: During my run this morning I thought "Oh! It is Wednesday! Amanda will have her running post today!"

How awesome is that? I had no idea anyone even noticed I've been posting these on Wednesdays! I'm not even sure I noticed I was posting these on Wednesdays! So thanks, Molly! You made my day.

I really hope you guys have been encouraged, inspired, and educated by these posts, and I also hope you've been enjoying hearing from the featured running bloggers! Hopefully by now you're in the right mind-set, you got fitted for some shoes, you made a training schedule, haven't gotten injured, and are learning how your body reacts to fuel before, during, and after running.

Now for part six. I'm calling today's post "The iPod Edition" because we're going to talk about the age-old question I get from people who don't understand how I can actually look them in the eye and say running is fun: Don't you get bored?

Honestly? Yes. Sometimes I want nothing more than to claw my eyes out because I'm so bored, but for the most part I have way too many thoughts to work through to keep me occupied for days. You really don't want to know what goes on inside this brainy head of mine. Besides my thoughts, I also have my ipod to keep me company. I know there are runners who debate the merits (or not) of running with music, but I love it. To each his own.

And so, today I want to share some of my favorite running songs and podcasts that keep me company as I wind away the solitary miles through my neighborhood. Old-school nano for the win!

Chris Brown 

"With You"

I hate that I love this song, because I probably wouldn't want to run into Chris Brown in an alley after dark, but this jam seriously has saved my race more than once. For some reason it has the perfect beat for me, and I just get into a groove and play this on repeat for a good long while. Once I played it on repeat for the last 45 minutes of my half marathon because I needed the beat to keep me on pace.

One Republic 

"Everybody Loves Me"

One Republic is awesome in general, and this song is the best for keeping me on a good beat. Another play-on-repeat-for-45-minutes song. Give it a listen and tell me I'm wrong.

Stuff Mom Never Told You

I recently discovered this podcast and have been enjoying it quite a bit. The episodes are 30-40 minutes and cover interesting topics about everything from "Women and Wine" to whether or not men are more forgetful than women. And, if you notice in the above picture, the topic of the day is "lady farts." If that discussion doesn't keep you occupied while running, I really don't know what will. I also just listened to one about Instagram, which was really interesting.

Jillian Michaels

Yes, Jillian Michaels sounds like a man. And yes, she's kind of crazy. But I have started to enjoy these podcasts. Each is about 40-50 minutes long and made up of 2-3 segments, where she talks about fitness, weight loss, her own life, and answers call-in questions from listeners. I especially likes when she talks about The Biggest Loser. During one I listened to last week she called Bob Harper!

Village Church Sermons

I think it's the weirdest thing ever to listen to a sermon while running, but for a reason I can't explain, I love it. Matt Chandler is the pastor at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas, which is where my parents go and where I go when I visit them. He is a great preacher, and his 45-minute sermons are perfect for my shorter 3- and 4-mile runs. 

Here is an mp3 link to an excellent sermon on abortion that I listened to a few months ago. Whatever side you fall on the issue, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on this sermon if you ever get the chance to give it a listen.

The Marathon Show

I don't love this podcast, but I like it. You understand the difference, yes? My main problem is the MC, whose hyper voice annoys me. But if you can get past that, I do enjoy listening to a podcast about running while I'm, you know, running. Plus, they're about 60 minutes long, so I can get in 6 or 7 miles during an entire show.

Freakonomics Radio

Similar to "Stuff Your Mom Never Told You," the Freakonomics podcasts cover a host of awesome and interesting topics. Most recently I listened to one examining whether or not having a baby girl increases a couple's chances of getting divorced.

So that's it! I usually alternate between podcasts and music depending on the length of my run and how I'm feeling. Now I'd love to hear from you!

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Any podcasts or songs I should add to my ipod? 

What is the most played song on your running playlist?

Are you a fan of running with music or without it? 

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Don't miss today's featured running bloggers!

< Amy's Blog | Coffee, Scarves & Running Shoes >

< Elizabeth's Blog | Curly Pink Runner >

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**Today I'm also linking up with Emily for "Favorite Things"**
Grab a button and link up on Friday with your post!

*I am not a personal trainer or physician. This post is not intended to offer medical advice. Contact your doctor before beginning a fitness routine or if you experience pain while exercising.

5 Awesome Songs

Day 29 | five songs that mean something to you

Sometimes I'm not sure what kind of music I like. My running playlist is the craziest collection of songs I've ever seen. Where else do you see Lady Gaga next to Tim McGraw next to Chris Tomlin next to Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana?

No matter what, though, I always always love me some country music. Even before I moved to Oklahoma. Anyway, the point is, I love music, mostly of all genres with the exception of techno. #sorrynotsorry

But when all is said and done, here are 5 songs that make me think, bring me back, or just make me smile. Not my favorite songs ever, necessarily, but ones that mean a lot to me.

Come to Jesus

By Chris Rice

I heard the most beautiful rendition of this song at Jordan's grandpa's funeral.

I can't listen to this song without tearing up.

Standing around his hospital bed as he passed away is something I will never forget.

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Love Your Love the Most 

By Eric Chruch

The song we danced to at our wedding

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Just to See You Smile

By Tim McGraw

My favorite song ever.

I don't know why. I just love it.

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Starry Night

By Chris August

"I'm giving my life to the only Son
Who was and is and yet to come
Let the praises ring
'Cause He is everything"

My favorite song on my running playlist. 

_________________

Somebody Told Me

By The Killers

I cannot ever again listen to The Killers without it bringing me back to my college days.

My friends and I (the same ones I was on girls' weekend with) played this CD all the time.
Good memories.

Do you have any special songs that mean a lot to you?

Marathon Training: Week 6 and My Running Playlist

Let's just get right to it. Do you see that nice little 14 there on the end? 

That is officially the farthest I have ever run! It was tough. The Oklahoma wind was...windy, and there were a few slight hills in there. But do you know what made it all okay?

My dad drove all the way up from Dallas to run with me! We're holding up a 1 and 4 for....14 miles! 

We rocked a 10-minute/mile pace, which I am very happy with, since that's the pace I want to run my marathon.

Next week I have a 16-mile run scheduled, which I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to. But do it I will. 

I've been trying to figure out my fueling strategy for both before, during, and after my runs. Today was my first time to try GU during a run. I'm still undecided about what I think. I couldn't take a whole packet at once, so I split it into 3 sections and just kept it in my jacket between water stops. I will say that I didn't feel like I hit "the wall," so there might be something to the GU.

As far as pre-run breakfast goes, I was reading an article yesterday about how you're supposed to eat 1,000 calories in the morning before a run, which sounds like a ridiculous amount to me. But considering I usually eat either nothing or, at most, a quarter of a bagel, I suppose I have room to improve. So this morning I ate a small bowl of oatmeal. 

For after my runs, I bought some Cliff protein bars and a package of individual chocolate milks. I think it's helped me not get as hungry (or grouchy).

On a semi-related note, I'm super pumped, because I just bought some sweet compression calf sleeves, which I found on sale for $25. If you don't know anything about the cost of compression sleeves, that is a STEAL. I can't wait to get them and see if they really do make a difference. 

Finally, since I know you can't get enough running talk, I wanted to share my top 12 songs from my running playlist, just in case you needed some inspiration. 

What is your favorite workout activity? Do you have any songs you love listening to while exercising? What's the farthest you've ever run?

10 Things I'm Afraid to Tell You

Earlier this week I read this post, which linked to this post. Apparently there's a blogging thing going around. I missed it, as usual--I'm often behind.

For some reason, the idea of writing a post with some confessions immediately appealed to me. This is partly because I feel dry of interesting blogging material at the moment and partly because of this video I watched yesterday, which has been on my mind and heart ever since.

On this blog I write about all sorts of funny happenings, and I post pretty pictures. 

But my life isn't always funny, and it doesn't look pretty all the time.
{I've probably been the most honest about this here.}

It's Thursday, May 10. 

My 1-year wedding anniversary is in exactly 4 days.

My 26th birthday is in exactly 2 months.

And here are 10:

{these are in no particular order}

1. I hate my skin. It's better now, but I still struggle with it (and seriously envy Jordan's smooth skin). Before my wedding, I went to the dermatologist because I refused to walk down the aisle looking like I had chicken pox. But during my four years of college and the three years since, I refused to let anyone get near my face. I recoiled if anyone tried to touch it, and it became a habit to pull my sweatshirt up over my chin so people couldn't see the acne.

2. I worry about getting fat. I notice myself getting anxious about it if I haven't gone running or done some type of exercise in four or five days. Then I head out for a 4-mile run or do a Jillian Michaels video, and I eat an entire gallon of Breyer's mint chocolate chip ice cream (because it's the BEST), and all is right with the world--at least for the next four days. (I should add that I enjoy working out, so it's not like it's something I have to force myself to do. But when I don't do it, I start feeling frumpy.)

3. I wish I had more money. Jordan and I are extremely blessed. We have much, much more than enough. But I still have to daily fight down that twinge of jealousy when I visit someone who lives in a bigger house than I do or has fancier clothes than me. The past year of consistent tithing has really been wonderful in helping me think about "my" money as not mine at all but God's. I need to care less about "stuff."

4. I love Jesus. This obviously isn't any kind of dark confession, and it's certainly not a bad thing. I know I've talked about church and God on this blog before, but just in case there was any confusion: I love Jesus. Am I the perfect Christian? No. But I love going to church and playing the violin in the worship band. Oh, and I listen to KLove. That's right.

5. My dream is to be a freelance editor. No 9-5. No set schedule. Just me editing books. My secret hope (not-so-secret now, I guess) is that someone will find me via this blog and my monthly writing tips, and that will launch my freelance career. 

6. I used to scoff at cheesy pet names. But here's the truth: I love that Jordan calls me "babe." I remember exactly where we were the first time he ever said it (driving in his truck on the way to a softball game). It gave me goose bumps. That might be when I realized I loved him. (Okay, I totally made that last part up, but it could be true.)

7. I hate how competitive I am. Just once I want to play a game and not get upset if I lose.

8. I wish I were a faster runner.

9. Pinterest stresses me out. So much creativity in one place.

10. And last but not least is this dear blog of mine. I've been writing for almost 2 years now, and I love it. But I'm not going to lie: I wish I had more followers. I know that's silly. Who cares how many followers I have? The people who read this blog want to read it, and do I really want people "following" who don't even read? The obvious answer is no. Still, I can't help but see people with thousands of followers who get hundreds of comments, and I wish that were me. But then I realize that if I did have thousands of followers, that would be a lot of pressure, and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I am thankful for this creative outlet and the faithful friends who comment and read everything (you know who you are). (Shout out to Audra, follower/commenter/supporter from the beginning.)

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So that's a few things about me you probably didn't know.

And I've just decided to write a follow-up post titled:

10 Things I Like About Myself/My Life

Because for every thing I wish I had or wish I did better, 

I have five more blessings I could name.

And those are important to recognize too. 

I might make it a link-up (since I know how to do those now).

Stay tuned.

And thanks for reading. 

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{I'm going to tack on a shameless plug for my new weekly photography linkup: 
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt. 
You can link up until tomorrow with an A here. Or come back on Monday with a B!}

On Playing the Violin

Last week I was asked to play violin at a Good Friday service for a church in Amber, Oklahoma. It was a small town located a good 45 minutes out in the middle of nowhere, and it had an even smaller church sitting right in the middle of deserted Main Street.

The week before, I'd randomly received a call from the music minister in Amber, saying that he got my name from the music minister at my church and wanted to know if I would be available to play for them. He seemed relieved when I told him that yes, I would be available. He thanked me effusively and said, "I've called four churches so far, and no one has a violinist!" 

Having lived in Oklahoma now for three and a half years, this was not surprising. It's band all the way down here, and I recently had an epiphany: it's because college sports are such a huge deal, and they want people to play in the band at football games. 

In Illinois, however, it's quite the opposite. There's band, of course, but orchestra is offered as an elective as early as the fourth grade. That's when I started playing the violin. One day during music class, they brought in all the different instruments and let us try them out. If we were interested, we could come to school early once a week and start learning.

Looking back, I'm not sure why I initially picked the violin. It could have been because I didn't want to carry the bass or cello around, and I think I liked how the violin played higher notes than the viola.

I played for the rest of fourth and fifth grades and all though middle school. When I was eleven, it wasn't considered "cool" to be in the orchestra, and I hated carrying the ugly rental case back and forth every day. My parents bought me a violin case in seventh grade, but what I really wanted was a violin of my own. They said they wanted to wait to buy me one until they were sure I would keep playing. 

I entered high school and signed up for orchestra as my elective, where I became part of a sixty-piece orchestra. For Christmas freshman year, my parents bought me a violin. I started crying when I saw it. To this day it's my most memorable Christmas present.

My senior year I made first chair of the second violins, which meant I got to sit in the front row next to my best friends, who, incidentally, sat first chair first violin, first chair viola, and first chair cello. We had good times in the front row avoiding being hit by our conductor's baton or sprayed by his spit. 

Then I joined my college orchestra. It was much smaller and included members from the community--older men and women who still enjoyed playing. We came together with the choir and played The Messiah every Christmas. I loved it.

Every once in a while I would bring my violin to my grandparents' house and play for them. When we went back to Illinois for my grandma's funeral in December, I considered bringing it with me. Just because I knew she would have loved it. (We could barely fit ourselves in the car, though, so the violin stayed at home.) I remember once playing hymns from an old green hymnal my grandma found while my family sang along. 

When I moved to Oklahoma and found a church I liked, I immediately asked about playing violin on Sundays. They didn't have anyone who played; I was actually the first person who'd ever asked. Since then, I've played almost every single Sunday morning. I've also gotten the chance to teach two people, and I've played in three weddings.

This was all flashing through my mind as I drove to Amber last Friday, and I realized that it had been seventeen years since I first held a violin. 

I'm not trying to sound all poetic about it or anything, but this overwhelming feeling hit me that I am so thankful I started playing all those years ago. I don't know how hard it would be to pick it up later in life, but I do know that they say it's easier when you're young, and I don't know if I would have the patience now to learn.

I just love the way the violin sounds. I love that the old people in church come up to me on Sunday mornings and tell me how much they enjoy the music. It's not because I'm so great; I just love that I can use my talents to serve. 

And on a slightly more selfish level, I love that the hobby that wasn't "cool" in the sixth grade is now something people tell me they wish they could do. If I could, I'd go back to eleven-year-old me and tell myself not to feel stupid for being in the orchestra. 

"Self," I would say, "don't run past the eight graders in shame." Of course, middle school was a bad time for me anyway, so I don't know if that advice would have helped all that much. But a little self-confidence wouldn't have hurt. 

I guess what I'm really saying is that I'm glad I didn't quit. I could have, and I think I almost did a few times; I remember hating to practice, and I know I sounded terrible for the first few years. But my ability to play the violin is something I like about myself. It's something I'm good at, something I enjoy. Something I'm grateful to be doing now and something I hope I'll be doing in the future.

Sittin' on a porch swing (7 Questions)

It's 7 questions time yet again!

This is a chance for you to learn something new about me! Get excited.

First, here's a funny photo of me (just for kicks and completely unrelated to the questions)

This is not me, obviously. I don't have facial hair. This is Jordan. I am hiding behind him, and those are my arms. 

(You probably could have figured that out on your own. I don't know why I explained that.)

Moving on.

1. You're given the choice between a life with love and trials or loneliness and ease. Pick one.

Love will always come with trials, and I don't think loneliness is ever easy. So with that said, I'd choose love. Who wants to be lonely? Alone, sometimes yes. But lonely? Negative. 
  
 2. Would you rather live in Narnia, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, or Neverland?

Are we talking Middle Earth pre or post Sauron? Because that dude was scary. And not to be mean, but I'd rather not run around with tiny Hobbits. If I could be guaranteed the ability to fly, I would hit up Neverland. But then again, I could fly on a broomstick at Hogwarts...
Ah! This is too hard. I basically want to stay in a normal, non-fantastical world where I don't have to worry about winter and rings and you-know-whos and just read about that other stuff. Don't judge.

3. Think of your dream home... what style is it?

A ranch house with a porch swing where I can read all day long. And inside there are built-in bookshelves and a reading seat by a big window, where light streams in and everything is sunny. Oh, and the house has a large kitchen.

4. What's currently your favorite song or album?

Right now I'm obsessed with Lee Brice's "Woman Like You." But country music in general is my favorite.

5. Who was the last person you hugged?

Jordan is the only person I hug on a regular basis. I'm normally not a hugger. By that I mean I will avoid a hug if at all possible. My boss gave me an awkward side hug one time when I ran into him and his wife at ihop one Saturday morning. That was weird.

6. You have a ticket in your hand, where is it going to take you?

Honestly, right now the only tickets I'm thinking about are the ones I need to buy to fly to Chicago this summer. But if I could go anywhere, I'd fly to England. I've never been but always wanted to go.

7. Who is one blogger you KNOW you'd be BFFs with in real life?

This is a difficult and strange question. I don't really like to follow blogs of people I don't think I could be friends with in real life, but saying "everyone" seems like a cop-out. How about I tell you who I want to meet in real life:

Emily Anderson of The Anderson Crew. She has 6 children. Six! She's funny and creative and seems so, I don't know...together, I guess. Of course, I know she's just like anyone else, but is it weird to say I've had a dream about meeting her? Well, weird or not, I have. So that's that. 

Link up with Gentri Lee if you want to answer the questions too!

Trending in My Life Right Now

One of the items for this week's scavenger hunt is "trending." While I figure out how to take a picture of an ambiguous subject, you can read a list of 7 things trending in my life right now.

1. Snow! 

Yes, it snowed in Oklahoma last night. Maybe the stupid groundhog was right about this whole winter thing. It took me twice as long to drive to work today, because salt trucks and snow plows do not exist here. I drove 6 miles to work on an ice rink of a main road and almost slid into oncoming traffic twice.

2. Valentine's Day

Jordan doesn't believe in Valentine's Day. Yeah, he's one of those. But I'm a girl and get to decide things like what we do or don't do for Valentine's Day. So tonight we're going out to eat, and tomorrow we'll exchange cards. No presents this year, and I'm perfectly okay with that.

3. Brain Age

I'm sort of obsessed with this game Jordan has on his Nintendo DS. I feel super old school playing it, because it's probably from the 90s and plays lame techno music. But it's an awesome game that gives you brain teasers and puzzles to solve and then tells you how old your brain is. The lowest age is 20; I don't know what the oldest is. 

It can change daily based on the type of game you play and time of day. Saturday night my brain age was 25, which is how old I am, so yahoo! Yesterday I was at 27, which wouldn't have been so bad except that Jordan hit the elusive 20, and he seriously would not stop talking about how smart he is. 

But then, while he was pumping his self-important fist in the air, he stabbed himself in the eye with the tiny pencil you use to play the game. I didn't think he was so smart after that.

4. Pies

On Saturday, I attempted to make a chocolate pudding pie. 

Utter failure is too kind a phrase to describe what resulted. The pie did not become pudding; it became chocolate water. And I had to throw the entire thing out. 

I had made the pie for Jordan's sister's birthday, so not only did I fail at pie making, but I was forced to make that failure evident to his entire family so I could explain why we weren't able to come over and bring pie for everyone.

But last night I made a chicken pot pie from scratch, and it was delicious. So that sort of made up for the other pie, even though I didn't share with Jordan's family, so they no doubt still think I fail at making pie.

5. Downton Abbey. 
If you haven't seen this show, you should. I had heard people at work talking about it, but I dismissed it as being another one of those shows that everyone likes but I don't for a reason I can't explain (The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, to name a few). But Downton Abbey is so good, and season one is streaming on Netflix. So you have no excuse not to watch it immediately.

6. No cable.

After six months of full cable channels, including the sports pack and DVR, we now have nothing. No ESPN, no Bravo (and three episodes from the end of the current Top Chef season, I might add). But it's not as terrible as I thought. It's oddly freeing, actually. 

I'm here to tell you that if you feel strapped to your cable like a skydiver to his parachute, there is hope. I've been, to quote the infamous Bilbo Baggins, there and back again. And life is just fine.

7. Last but not least is my recent sprint to get back on the running wagon. 
The wagon left me behind a few weeks ago. I jumped off at first because I was lazy. But then I got sick. So this week I set a goal to run every single day. It's my over-the-top attempt to rejoin the exercise wagon and prepare for the upcoming 10k (at the end of February) and half marathon (at the end of April). 

I ran Saturday and Sunday, which means I only have to run for the next five days in order to meet my goal. After that, I'll hopefully be back on the wagon and ready to resume my normal schedule of running at least three times a week.

10 Favorite Running Songs

I can't run without music. Okay, well I guess technically I could, and I have, but it's really no fun. I've talked to other people who hate running with music, and usually it's because they like the silence to think. 

But I think a lot, so while I'm running I'd rather not have time to think about how far I've run and how slow I'm going and when I can stop. 

Over the past few years, I've put together an excellent running playlist on my ipod. I like it because the songs that play are in no way indicative of the style of music I normally listen to.

Case in point: most of the songs on the following list.

But there are certain songs that have beats that are so in sync (no pun intended) with my pace. I get in time with the music, and suddenly I'm running faster for longer without even realizing it. 

So if you're the music-while-you're-running type, here's a list of my current top 10 favorite running songs (in alphabetical order):

1) Beyonce: "Irreplaceable"

I don't own any Beyonce records, but I do have this song on repeat on my playlist. The beat is fantastically perfect for a 10-min/mile pace. It also makes me feel powerful.

2) Britney Spears: "Piece of Me"

I'll reiterate my line from the previous song and tell you that I do not own any Britney albums. However, this song is great. It makes me want to run hard...and then fight someone.

3) Colbie Caillat: "Fallin' for You"

I know, you don't hear Colbie Caillat and think perfect running song, right? And the majority of her songs really aren't good for a workout. But this is the first song I played when I started my first half marathon, and it's carried me through some tough runs. 

4) Fort Minor: "Remember the Name"

This song is rated R and is in no way symbolic of the language I use on a daily basis. However, if ever there's a song I need to pump me up for the last mile, this is it. I blare this part of the chorus and suddenly feel like I'm running in the Olympics for all the glory: 

"It's 10% luck, 20% skill, 5% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name." 

People will remember my name! That's what I shout in my head while I'm sprinting that last half mile home. Of course, they won't really, but that's beside the point.

5) Maroon 5: "Moves Like Jagger"

This is just a good running song. The end.

6) One Republic: "Everybody Loves Me"

If you've never listened to One Republic, you're missing out. I have a few of their songs on my running playlist, but this is the one with the best beat.

7) Taio Cruz: "Dynamite"

I don't even know who Taio Cruz is except to know that he's the person who sings this song. It's got a great beat, and the song itself is about blowing a club up like it's dynamite, which is obviously the sort of thing I love to do on the weekends.  

8) Taylor Swift: "Our Song 

Don't judge. Everyone has one guilty pleasure. This is mine. Her songs are so easy to sing, and the pace of this song in particular is more like an 8-minute mile. Let's just not discuss the absurd lyrics of Taylor Swift songs that really don't make sense, okay?

9) Tim McGraw: "Something Like That"

Obviously a Tim McGraw song is on this list. He's my favorite. And this is my dad and I's song. There's a home video of the two of us singing this together from something like 10 years ago. I've played this one on repeat a time or two to run a few miles at a quick pace.

10) Train: "Hey, Soul Sister"

Another excellent running song. I heard it on a commercial and then found out what it was and immediately bought it off itunes. I'm a song stalker like that.

* * * 

So that's it! Ten of my favorite running songs. I am always looking for new options, though, so shout out some of your favorites if you feel so inclined.

Why It's Important To Do Your Research

A few months ago, I thought of a great present to get my mom for her birthday:

tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. 

I was excited about the idea of going to see a nice orchestra performance to hear Bach and Vivaldi and Beethoven and all the greats. So I bought the tickets and eagerly awaited their arrival. 

Then, I looked TSO up on YouTube. 

"What the heck is this?" I shouted to Jordan, who was in the other room. 

"What's what?"

"This is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra?" 

"Uh, yeah. What did you think it was?"

Awesome. Turned out, I was the only person in the whole state of Oklahoma who didn't know that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was actually more of a rock show than anything else. I knew within seconds that it wasn't the sort of thing my mother was going to like.

"Well crap," I said. "What am I supposed to do now?"

So began a month-long debate about whether or not to sell the aforementioned tickets or take Jordan to the show with me instead (sorry you're just finding this out now, Mom). But the date kept getting closer, and I eventually decided that Jordan and I should just go and see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. (TSO comes to OKC every year, and it's always a sell-out crowd.)

So we went.

There were lasers. 

Many, many lasers. 

And fire. 

And smoke.

And a lot of long-haired guitarists flipping their hair. 

And a violinist playing an electric violin. The violin was purple. I want one now.

I'm glad I didn't take my mother. I am, however, not sad I went. It was pretty awesome and fortunately did not cause me to have a seizure due to all the lights (which was a concern I voiced to a friend of mine, who responded ever so kindly with, "What are you, eighty?" Let's get some perspective, mmkay?).

TSO is a great show, and I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to go at least once just for the experience of it all. The musicians are excellent, and there was this fantastic female vocalist, who I wanted to listen to forever. 

And did I mention lasers? 

As I said, it was an experience. 

I'm just so glad I looked them up on YouTube before going to a concert and thinking it was a traditional orchestra. 

Don't judge me. I promise I'm not always this uninformed. 
But learn from my mistake and do your research before you try to take your mother to a rock concert. Unless, of course, your mother's the type to love a good rock concert.

4 Months

I was listening to my ipod the other day, and this song came on. 

"I'm Taking the Wheel" by She Daisy.

I found myself playing it on repeat more than a few times, loving these lyrics:

* * *
Everybody says it can't be done
We drive each other crazy but
You're still the one
You make it hard to stay
Harder to run

You and me we're quite a pair
We make a mess out of thin air

So many roads we're left to take
So much history to make
We bend but we don't break
* * *

Also--unrelated--on Friday afternoon I came home 

to find Jordan with a razor in hand

and whisker shavings all around the sink.

The beard is,

at long last,

dead.

Flashback Friday--A Country Concert

While driving to work this morning, I was randomly reminded of the Brad Paisley concert that Jordan and I went to just over a year ago. It was one of my Christmas presents to him--two tickets to see his favorite country artist. Jordan's uncle actually works for CMT, so I called him, explained the situation, and ended up scoring amazing seats.

Justine Moore opened the concert.

Then Miranda Lambert sang. Awesomeness.

Then...

Brad Paisley came out! And winked at me. Then he played his guitar just for me. 
No, really, he did.

Okay, maybe he didn't. But whatever. It was an awesome concert. Although, in general I'm not a huge concert person, I did enjoy this one a lot. Brad Paisley can really put on a good show. And I freaking love country music. 

I've now seen Tim McGraw/Faith Hill, Keith Urban (w/Jason Aldean), and Justin, Miranda, and Brad. (We're on a first-name basis.)

Okay, not really.

Dear Jordan's uncle,  
Please get us tickets to another concert. That can be our wedding present. Second row or closer, please. 
Sincerely, 
Amanda (on behalf of Jordan too)