Homeward Bound

"I'm from Indiana, she made me what I've become,

Everyone has their reasons, one is always where they're from."

(The above are lyrics from Jon McLaughlin's song, 'What I Want' off of his new album, Promising Promises. FYI: He's an INCREDIBLE piano player.)

I grew up in a small town (yes, I realize that the above lyrics are not perfectly suited to my situation because I have never even been to Indiana much less grew up there). Jon McLaughlin's lyrics would suggest, and I would agree, that where you're from has a great impact on who you become. I am a small town girl. While I share many similarities with my friends that grew up in larger areas, there are some differences in the ways we approach and see life. Of course, there are many causes for those differences, but I think the place we grew up is a big one. 

In that small town that I called home for the majority of my life is a church and I grew up in that church...in more ways than one.

Why I Love it Live

Note: This is a not so deep post about nothing truly important to most people. :)

Hi, my name is Alex and I am addicted to attending live concerts. No really. I am. My addiction is so extreme in fact that a few months ago I started an excel sheet with the name of musicians and bands that I would like to see and I keep track of where they are at all times. It is color coded. Orange if they're in the southeast. Yellow if they're in Georgia (I'll need to have a special color for Tennessee now). Dark gray if they aren't touring. And yes, I include European and other overseas dates just so the chart is truly complete.

Most Improved

I remember in elementary school thinking that the award for 'Most Improved' was silly and did not belong at honor's day. (Just so you know, I am not at all proud of my uppity-ness.) I preferred the awards that ended in -est such as Highest, Brightest, and Best...and ended up getting a few over the years. School was never especially difficult for me and I am quite suited for and have always thrived in the role of student. Given that it has always been somewhat effortless for me (college provided a few doozies with courses like Physics and Organic Chemistry), I haven't always appreciated the struggles of others. 

Curveballs and Comfort Zones

"We had some random things happen to us; some good, some bad, some you can't explain, some you dont want to, but one thing we did learn for sure...when God throws a curveball...don't duck...you just might miss something."

(The above quote is from the movie, Extreme Days, which is not a great cinematic achievement, but does provide a few laughs and 90 or so minutes of decent entertainment.)

When I started this blog the first time, and now again this second time, it was with the best intentions to share little tidbits from my life...to have a space to reflect on what God was teaching me through all the crazy adventures I seemed to be going on, most specifically, sisterhood and seminary. However, it seems that for the past few years life continues to speed by and this little corner of the internet is left neglected and empty. I write hundreds of posts in my head and for some reason they never find their way here. However, I have some news...and it is big.

Here I Go Again...

I started this blog in the summer of 2009. I wrote for a while, then I stopped. I wrote again the next summer. Then, I stopped. I totally skipped the summer of 2011 and didn't write even once. Now, summer 2012 is fast approaching and here I am, attempting to do something that I've failed miserably at every time I've tried...

I've heard that the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about my mental state.

Can I guarantee that I will write faithfully past this summer? Absolutely not. Can I guarantee that I will write faithfully throughout this summer? Nope. Can I guarantee that if I do write that it will be often? Not so much.

I did, however, decide to re-design and start over in hopes that every now and then I could and would put pen to paper or rather, fingers to keys, and write down a few of my thoughts. I find writing to be cathartic and fun and given that I am now finished with graduate school and I am not writing several papers at one time, I actually miss writing. Also, there's some joy that comes in knowing that if and when I do write my thoughts down in this little corner of the internet that I've carved out for myself, while you may judge me or form opinions about me...you will not be giving me a grade. Writing for a grade is totally different than simply writing to get my thoughts out. Thus, I should also say...don't expect graduate-level thoughts all of the time or even most of the time.

Most days, I'm not actually that deep. I'm trying to figure life out just like everyone else and every now and then, I may just come here to share the little I've learned so far along this journey or maybe I'll come just to talk about the journey itself and what I'm trying to learn. I'm not going to put too many limitations on it, what comes out, when it comes out will be what you will find here. I imagine at times, I may even be surprised by what finds its way here. :)