Another “Tag, you’re it!”

These “all about me” memes are certainly making their rounds these days.  But rather than telling you my “gangsta name,” I thought I’d latch onto another and share fifteen life changing albums.

Stand by Me Soundtrack
This is the first album I can remember loving.  As I child I remember dancing around to “Mr. Lee” and giggling at the humor of “Yakety Yak.”  My greatest accomplishment as a first grader was perhaps the mastery of the “Lollipop” finger/cheek pop sound.  I credit this album with planting the seeds of my music obsession.

George Strait – Greatest Hits Volume Two
That’s right, a country album.  I wouldn’t be a Texas girl without it!  And while country is certainly not representative of my overarching musical tastes, my list would not be complete without old school George. No music evokes memories of childhood visits to the grandparents in south Texas like this.  Of course the double entendres of “The Fireman” were lost on me as a five year old, and I remember picturing a literal blue man whenever “Am I Blue” would play.  My favorite (to this day) is “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”  I still sing out just a little bit louder when he gets to “Sweet Eileen’s in Abilene …”

Wilson Phillips – Wilson Phillips
Another childhood album.  Man, me and my mom wore this tape (yes, a cassette tape … long before iTunes or even CDs) out.  I still know every word and what song’s supposed to play next.  I would definitely categorize this one as a guilty pleasure; however, I embrace it wholeheartedly.  I felt much more mature than a third grader whenever I listened to them.

James Taylor – Greatest Hits
If the Stand by Me soundtrack planted the roots of the obsession, James Taylor pruned the emerging plant.  I don’t remember when I started listening to this album … and it was a literal “album”; my parents had the record.  Even as a child I knew there was a qualitative difference between this and the other music I enjoyed.  Something about the acoustic guitar intro to “Fire and Rain” still stirs my soul.  I didn’t wear this record out; I just broke the record player listening to it.

Nichole Nordeman – Wide Eyed
Enter my Contemporary Christian Music phase.  This album was a jem.  I listened to her words and felt they were my own.  Her sincere desire to know God despite doubts and questions was liberating for me.  She didn’t offer pat answers but was honest about her own faith struggles.  Nichole Nordeman ministered to me through her music, and she was the first.

Caedmon’s Call – 40 Acres
I had a hard time picking which CC album to include.  My freshman year in high school I got their self titled album on blind faith because I liked the song “Lead of Love.”  Little did I know what inspiration result from that one purchase.  I don’t know that I would say 40 Acres is their best album, but it’s probably the most personally impacting.  Remember “Shifting Sand”?  I still resonate with each lyric.  And “Faith My Eyes” was my going to college song.  Gah … and “Table for Two” continues to speak truth and wisdom into my life.

Andrew Peterson – Carried Along
Another hard choice on which album.  I went with his first.  I fell in love with Andrew my senior year in high school the moment I heard “Nothing to Say” on the radio.  I can’t help but be quiet and still upon hearing this incredibly personal and poetic praise to the Lord of creation.  Again, I bought the album for the one song, and have since bought every album he’s released, never being disappointed.

Jill Phillips – Kingdom Come
I also found Jill in high school after especially resonating with her song “Steel Bars.”  She picked up where Nichole Nordeman left off in terms of musical discipleship.  Again, her honesty captivated me.  With every song I sensed the struggle, yet was challenged and encouraged by her tenacity in perseverance.  “Kingdom Come,” her masterful reworking of several hymns, has become my Sunday morning staple.

Ben Harper – Diamonds on the Inside
And then comes Ben.  A friend introduced me to his music while in college, and I am forever indebted to her!  This album certainly reflects his self proclaimed “Folk/Rock/Reggae” eclecticism with songs ranging from the Marley-esque “With My Own Two Hands” to “Picture of Jesus,” reminiscent of Paul Simon.  “Blessed to Be a Witness” wins the day … and the album.

Pieces of April Soundtrack
Bless you, “Pieces of April” for introducing me to Stephin Merritt and his haunting voice.  Besides being one of my all time favorite movies, I think this album emerges as my all time favorite soundtrack.  From the start I was captivated by the quirky instrumentation and odd arrangement of sounds. When I play this album, I somehow feel like I have a more interesting life than is the case.  And I can’t help but smile every time I hear the line, “I know Professor Blumen makes you feel like a woman, but when the wind is in your hair, you laugh like a little girl.”

Damien Rice – O
I just love the sound of this album; it’s strikingly intimate.  It reminds me of my last apartment … my beautiful deep red wall and the ugly, yet cozy, brown carpet.  His music, too, is haunting … evocative and penetrating.

Derek Webb – Mockingbrid
For thirteen years I have loved this man’s work, the wisdom he so artfully conveys through his music.  On this album you are consistently challenged to question what you’ve always believed, not for the sake of deconstruction but for a strengthening of faith that leads to good works.  Jesus is exalted, and His teaching revered.  Everyone should find himself somewhere on this album, and hopefully walk away changed.

Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams
This album makes me want to fall in love.  Pretty much any Jack Johnson album is good for background music, and if you parse through his lyrics you’ll find some good stuff.  However, “Better Together” may be my favorite love song of all time, replete with its clever quips on real aspects of partnership.  And Banana Pancakes!  Who doesn’t want to stay in bed on a rainy day with someone they love?  “When the whole world fits inside of your arms, do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?”

Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
I was first drawn to Wilco because I knew Derek Webb was a fan.  It’s taken me awhile to get on board, but after giving this album several listenings, call me a seaman … or seawoman, I guess.  This album is good on a level beyond my appreciation.  I know I don’t get it in its fullness, but that makes me like it even more.  I feel like this album has opened up new avenues to other artists that I might have previously written off but now have come to love.

Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
What to say, what to say.  I don’t want to waste my time with music not as good as theirs.  Who else could have coined the phrase “sexy cocktail hour stubble”?  I want to BE the girl with dahlias in her hair.  I listen to this album, and I truly thank the Lord for gifting this woman and this man with their ability to write and perform music.  Every listen fills me with a hopeful expectation of what is to come.  Whether that be for the Trumpet Child to blow His horn or the chance to share the thoughts I’ve long been entertaining about the one with whom I’ll someday read Shel Silverstein in bed.  Everyone I share this album with becomes a fast fan.  It’s impossible not to; they’re that good.

Hmm … time for tagging.  If you’re tagged I have some interest in hearing what albums have most affected you.  Tracy, you’re not on Facebook, but consider yourself tagged, my friend.  I especially would love to hear your top albums.

In Search of the STOF Man

I liked my last boyfriend for three reasons.  He was older, taller, and smarter than me.  Granted, he was only older by a few months, taller by a few inches, and smarter by, well, I didn’t ever ask his SAT scores, but I am fairly certain they were better than mine.  (He never did beat me at Connect 4, though.)  Obviously I valued more than those three characteristics, but it was a running joke I shared with friends at the time … my three “non-negotiables.”

Anyway, I was pretty amused to happen upon a similar list in the book I’ve been reading the past couple days.  Rachel Toor dedicates a chapter of her memoir, “Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running,” to her search for the ideal man who in her opinion is STYF: Smarter, Taller, Younger, and Faster.  She acknowledges the difficulty of defining smarter, but goes on to explain, “I need to be with someone whose mind zigs and zags in ways that enchant me, whether by listening to him talk about Penrose tiles or by watching him pack a moving truck.  Likewise, I want someone who wants me because he likes the sounds my sentences make on those rare occasions when they sing.”  I could not have said it better myself.

Taller is pretty self explanatory, but younger was a surprise.  Being in her 40s, Toor feels younger men are more comfortable around strong women.  She muses, “Show me a fellow who can articulate why he hates everything Hilary Clinton stands for but would never think to call her ‘opinionated’ and that’s a guy I’d like to date.”  Younger men for her aren’t patronizing.  Being that I’m nowhere near 40, and most of the guys she’s referring to as younger than her are still older than me, I’m sticking with my initial desire … older is better.  Bring on the maturity!

The title of the chapter in which this STYF discussion occurs is “Speed Goggles.”  As opposed to beer goggles.  For Toor, this one attribute has the potential to override the previous three.  “I find out that someone who seemed stupid, old, and short can still run a 2:30 marathon?  Come on over, big boy.”  Considering I am nowhere near the runner Toor is, I don’t think it should be very hard to find a guy faster than me!  And while I wouldn’t rank this trait at the top of the list, I’m happy to tag it on at the end.  I would love a running partner, someone better than me willing to condescend to my level, making me better.

Toor conludes the chapter by writing, “I’ve given up on trying to find a STYF man; he’s proved as elusive as an ivory-billed woodpecker.  Plus, I’ve come to accept that I’m not everyone’s cup of decaf skim chai: I don’t cook, and I’m kind of mean.  At this point I’d settle for an interesting running partner who pushes me to keep up and never calls me ‘opinionated’; someone who teaches me new things and knows the value of a semicolon.  If that’s still too much to ask, maybe what I really need is a dog.”

Well, I’m not dog shopping yet.  I don’t really cook either, but I’m not mean.  And I’m too young to give up on the dream of, in my case, a STOF man.

Singleness/Dating/Marriage Greatest Hits: V-Day Edition

Over the past few years I’ve written a fair share of blogs.  And as a most-of-the-time-single girl, a few of them dealt with questions and issues regarding singleness, dating, and marriage.  My last post on this topic happened to be last year’s Valentine’s Day.  As V-Day approached this year, I realized that I don’t have much else to say.  So this year I am offering up, in one convenient post, my aforementioned humble attempts to answer (or at least ask more questions about) the following:

What are the benefits of singleness?

What’s your E-Harmony age?

Are there plenty of fish in the sea?

How important are butterflies?

What do women (and men) really want?

What’s the perfect wedding locale?

Do you want someone to make you coffee in the morning?

Are women worth the pursuit?

Does it all come out in Moron?

Can what I want be totally wrong?

Are guys/girls a mystery to you?

25 Things

I am cracking up at how this has taken over Facebook these days!  By now you all know what to do … tag me back if you do it!

1. I was once held at gunpoint while the gunman tried to steal my car.  He couldn’t get it to start, however, so he stole my friend’s car instead.
2. I was an only child for eleven years.  I used to refer to myself as a “lonely child.”  Even though technically I am now the eldest, I still maintain my only child personality in many respects.  As does my younger brother, despite technically being the youngest.
3. I don’t have a sister, but my cousin Jayme might as well be … we grew up fighting like sisters.  These days I never get tired of having her around.  I love her SO much, and I am so thankful that as of this year we get to live in the same town!
4. My best friend growing up was also named Sarah.  And we have the same middle name.  And it’s spelled in a semi-unusual way … Kaye.  And we’re both named after our aunts.  On our moms’ side.
5. When I was in middle school I had a fanatical crush on John Travolta.  I was obsessed.  I would record episodes of Welcome Back Kotter on Nick at Nite.  I still have my Saturday Night Fever t-shirt.
6. I am not a fan of root beer, but I absolutely love root beer Dum Dums.
7. If I had a bucket list, I would be able to cross off “Run a marathon” and “Jump out of a plane.”
8. I am a multiple sneezer.  I hardly ever sneeze less than five times in a row, and I believe my record is twelve.
9. My hair is an ever evolving entity.  My mom never let me color it growing up, so that has become my benign method of rebellion.  Over the past four years or so I’ve gone blonde to dark, dark brown and everywhere in between.  I also like to grow it out long and then cut it super short.  Drastic changes usually coincide with major life changes, i.e. breakups, graduations, etc.
10. I don’t consider myself to be especially feminine, although I am somewhat girly about certain things.  Like nail polish.  I love it.  I usually paint my nails once a week, and I have a huge tote with almost any shade of red and pink imaginable.  (I’m not usually a crazy color girl, although I do have teal!)  I also really like makeup.  I have amassed quite the collection of Clinique Bonus samples.
11. It is my goal to see every movie that ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Out of 80, I’ve seen 48 … and a half.  I still haven’t made it all the way through Lawrence of Arabia. 
12. I have a couple prerequisites for my future last name.  1) I would like to move up in the alphabet.  2) I would like a name more unusual than Reed.  I would also like to still have double letters, but that may be getting too picky.
13. If I could choose for myself any giftedness, it would be to sing uniquely and well, to play an instrument with true talent, and to write music and lyrics with life changing potential.   Really, any of the three would be nice.  I suppose I’ll just have to settle for being an appreciator.
14. My three favorite instruments in no particular order are the harmonica, the mandolin, and the cello.  My cousin’s is the triangle.  I got her one for her birthday.
15. I am convinced that music is an incredible didactic tool.  As much as effort as I put into memorizing scripture, it somehow falls out of my head after awhile.  Scripture in song, however, is there forever.  How fitting that the Psalms were meant to be sung!  I always try to incorporate music into my teaching, and I plan to do it as a professor someday as well.  You know, I can’t name a single character from The Scarlet Letter, but thanks to my senior English teacher Mrs. Whitaker, I sure as heck know that Heathcliff and Cathy are the stars of Wuthering Heights.  For four plus minutes of ever increasing hilarity: 
16. I’m really good at “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”  If it weren’t for my fear of singing in front of people, I would totally try out.  I would have won $200,000 if I had been on the show one of the nights I watched.
17. I did win a computer for college at Project Graduation.
18. My first car did not have reverse.  I had to get really creative with parking.
19. I am conflicted about having children.  Sometimes I want four – two boys and two girls – so that everyone can have a sister AND a brother.  Other times I think, “I hope I’ll love my OWN children.”  However, when my friend Stacey had her first child Molly, that fear was pretty much alleviated.  I love that kid so much!
20. If I could perfectly emulate anyone’s style & wit it would have to be Lorelai Gilmore’s.
21. I am a firm believer in the power of words.  Life and death, friends, life and death.  To this day I can remember very vividly words people have spoken to/about me, both for the good and the bad.
22. I really like to be right.  Sadly sometimes I prefer being right over being liked.
23. The first rated R movie I ever saw was Stand by Me.  My family was watching it and allowed me to stay with them in the living room if I covered my eyes during the throw up scene.  I peeked.
24. I thoroughly enjoy reading things aloud to others.  If you and I are at Blockbuster, you can be pretty sure I’ll try to read you the back cover of at least one movie.  One summer at volleyball camp, my friend Tracy was reading a John Grisham book that I had already read.  She had about fifty pages left, and I convinced her to let me read them to her so I could see her reaction to the twist at the end.
25. I love, love, love being on the roof.  I wanted to have my 13th birthday on the roof of the Grace Museum, but it was too expensive.  When I was a dorm director my building had a flat roof, and when the weather was nice I would go up there during the day to lay out (I lugged a lawn chair up there all by myself) and at night to pray.  I took my staff up there a couple times (shh … don’t tell) and got caught by the UCO police once when I took my cousins and aunt up there.  To commemorate my last week as a hall director, a friend of mine and I spent the night up there.  It was SO uncomfortable (read: sleeping on rocks, literally), but totally worth it.