i heart norah

Yesterday marked a much anticipated day for me. I have been waiting for this for some time now. Here's the announcement from the horse's mouth:

"On January 30, 2007, Norah will release her third and most personal album yet. Not Too Late -- a collection of 13 original songs, all of which were either written or co-written by Norah herself. Featuring the sweet and soulful lead single "Thinking About You"...."

Listen to "Thinking About You" here.


And while you're listening, let me explain. I was turned on to her music while in college (I opened and closed Jackson's Java to her) and her songs quickly became landmarks in my relationship with Josh. Her version of "The Nearness of You" was our first dance at our wedding....and many sweet living room dances following. In fact, pretty much anytime we're celebrating us or Josh just wants to create a romantic atmosphere at home for me, he pops Norah in. There's something about her thick, soulful voice and easy music that just gets me. I love it and even though this new album looks like it will sound identical to her first two, I'm glad. I could just soak it up. I hope more and more people will buy her albums and then maybe she'll record more often....seriously, the world is just a more relaxed place with her music in it.


Speaking of relaxation and romance....what do you and your sweetie do for Valentine's Day???

I am currently brainstorming ideas for our love day and since we're on a budget these days, I'd love some ideas. Anything, really. Crafts, menus, recipes, outings, things that worked well in the past, etc. I really enjoy sentimental ideas like making cards and I usually feel like I have good ideas until the pressure is on and then I draw a blank.

If you're in the same boat as me, here are a couple of interesting websites I found today that may help as well:

--a word of caution: these contain quite a few links with ideas for "married" activities as well.

http://holidays.lovingyou.com/valentine/

http://www.mydearvalentine.com/valentine/idea-tips/

Drama princess

I love reading blogs that quote cute things little ones have said, and since my little one can't talk yet I'll share a funny moment I had last night with my sister Doria and her daughter Trinity. Let me preface it by saying that Doria has been known to be very dramatic and Trinity (4 yrs old) has inherited that trait and then some. She is also going through a HUGE princess phase.


Doria was standing in the kitchen when we hear a sweet little voice say,

"Your Highness, I'm stursty"

"Oh yeah, that's what she's been calling me these days. The other day she said, 'Oh Your Highness, I love your hair!' and she also now refers to us as 'Mother and Father'."


Other recent quotes from Trinity are (in a very sincere tone):


"Oh, thank you, thank you! I praise you! Thank you!"

"Oh Mother, I just want to make you happy!"

"Mommy say, 'I'm not mad.'"

Prodigal Party (which one?)

A very dear friend and I were having a lively debate last night that has me really thinking and a bit confused. She, being Democrat (but not straight ticket), and confused me who has historically voted Republican (but not straight ticket) were discussing which moral issues should take priority when Christians vote. The obvious main moral issues are the sanctity of marriage and abortion and one that is often overlooked but still extremely important is the issue of caring for the poor and needy. While I'm sad that we have to choose (often the lesser of two evils) how are we to go about making this choice Biblically. My pastor gave a powerful sermon last week on abortion and the sanctity that God has placed on life. My heart couldn't nod in agreement any harder. I also am passionately convinced of God's great wisdom in the order He has set into place concerning marriage between a man and a woman. But what about the poor? What about health care for our children? Did not Jesus heavily emphasize and live out a call to give to the poor and care for those around us in need? Is this not what He spent the majority of his ministry doing besides teaching? Is this only the church's responsibility? Or do we have a responsibility to voice our concern for the poor on our ballots?

I ask these questions because I simply don't know the answer....and maybe I'm asking the wrong questions. Maybe I've missed the point. What I am sure of is that the "spiritual" line between the two political parties is greatly thinning. The differences seem to be harder to discern with the increasing amount of religious fog surrounding the candidates. Christians are a huge target for both parties and they're demanding that we decide which moral issues we will get behind more.

We've all heard our President quote scripture from the Oval office and profess his faith. His father too. But now there's Obama showing up in the pews....and even Hillary. And while it's easy to jump to my own judgements and opinions about where they may or may not stand personally, the issues remain the same.....and both sides are calling on Christians to make their choice.

So, what do you think? How do you go about deciding on these huge issues from a Biblical perspective?

I would love to hear your answers.

Here's a very interesting article in this month's WORLD magazine on the subject (if you have a subscription).

the Colts.....my final answer

I admit that before today I knew pretty much nothing about the the Colts or the Bears, however, I decided that I really want to enjoy the Superbowl this year despite our beloved Panthers not being (or deserving) any part of it. I had heard a lot of the hype surrounding the fact that the two coaches are the first African-American coaches to go to the Superbowl.....HUGE. And in all that hype that both are Believers....even better. After reading about the tragedy of Colt's head coach Tony Dungy's son and his faith in God's goodness in the midst of tragedy, I was convinced. What a man!!!

Read for yourself here.

My Meme (what does that mean, by the way?)

I got tagged....yeah!!! Thanks, Melanie! The funny thing is that I'm sitting in our office where ALL of our books are kept and there are several piles on the desk. Hmmm..... Ok, the two nearest (one on the right and one on the left) are the Bible and the Second Book of Practical Studies for Clarinet by Nilo W. Hovey. I think I will choose the Bible and the next closest which is Foundations of Education by Ornstein/Levine. Here you go:

"And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land--the men who brought up a bad report of the land--died by plague before the Lord. Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive. When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly." (Numbers 14:36-39)

"Social promotion policies, which promoted children in public schools to higher grades to keep them with their age cohort, even if they had not mastered grade-appropriate skills and subjects, had eroded academic standards. These policies, neo-essentialists charged, had lowered academic standards and produced a notable decline in scores on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT. In addition, some neo-essentialists were concerned that a morality permissive environment in the schools had weakened civic values of industriousness, responsibility and patriotism."

(don't look at me....it's Josh's book)

That was fun. Ok, I tag....Kristin T., Stacey and Michelle.

Here's what you do:

1. Grab the book closest to you open to page 123
2. Go down to the fourth sentence
3. Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog
4. Name the author and book title
5. Tag 3 people to do the same