Jameson David

I'm lacking sleep today so I'll let the Dixie Chicks do the talking...

Lullaby

"They didn't have you where I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep

To hold you close and feel your breath on me

Tomorrow there'll be so much to do

So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world

In search of all things beautiful

You can close your eyes when you're miles away

And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough, is forever enough

How long do you want to be loved

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up

Is forever enough

Cause I'm never, never giving you up."

{The song "Lullaby" was written by Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Dan Wilson.}

GPS

When Andy and I travel, I love the GPS.  I enjoy the false sense of security it gives – where to turn, how fast to go and exactly when I will be there.  Andy, on the other hand, has to look up the route before we travel it (even when using the GPS).  Although he acknowledges the benefits of our faithful Garmin, he also jumps at the opportunity to yell or argue with it when things don’t go as planned.  And, somewhere in the middle, is the best way to travel. 

I’m in Iowa this week – sans Garmin – in uncharted territory.  I’m anxiously and impatiently waiting on my niece or nephew to arrive.  I expected to cook dinners for my sister’s new family.  To see a belly full of life and laugh while we guess what the baby’s, well, everything will look like!  But, as we all prepare to take on roles never assumed before – Aunt, Mom, Grandma, Dad – we move forward with a nerve-racking mixture of complete confidence and utter vulnerability that I wasn’t expecting.

And, right in the middle of these new feelings, there is the opportunity to reflect on the type of people we want to be for this new life.  We can find that happy medium between arguing with the unexpected and planning for it.  We can learn from our vulnerability, reign in our confidence, and move forward.  Though there is no ETA for the arrival of this new life, somehow I think this little being will be here at the exact moment we are ready.

Signs of fresh beginnings everywhere!

  

A nudge.

As I've discussed before, I'm a constant contradiction.  I love adventure but enjoy laying my head down on my own pillow each night.  I'm loud and talkative yet introspective.  I like to give but take selfishly from those with which I truly share my heart.  And when I chose my partner, I chose someone who is so patient with these contradictions.  One who smiles and nods when I need him to and one who gives me a nudge when needed as well.

I needed a nudge last weekend.  I had completely consumed my thoughts with giving up the short-term excitements so we can meet our long-term goals.  I needed to remind myself that sometimes a nudge toward a friendly face is exactly what you need to refuel and get yourself to the place where your long-term goals become a reality.

So, we packed up the car and drove across the state to visit one of my very best friends and her family.  It was a short trip but we filled it to the brim with fun, laughter, chatting, more laughter and fake ketchup bottles.  It's funny the way an evening with people you love can bring you right back to where you needed to be all along - with just a little nudge.

Please remember that you can still vote - if you want - for me to be a featured blogger for Wyndham's Women on their Way. You can vote once a day (from phones and as many computers as you have!) until March 31. Click here to vote.

Don't Stop Believing!

Our 90 degree weather screamed beach day this weekend!

I am currently in physical therapy for an IT band issue in my knee brought on by running.  My physical therapist, Patrick, brought to light an interesting point that went like this:

"Amanda, did you finish that marathon?"

Me, excitedly;  "Yes!!"

"What was your time?"

"4:37"

"So, you're a decent runner with absolutely no leg strength?"

{Insert embarrassed silence.}

"I can only imagine the tenacity with which you go after things.  But, Amanda, we are going to have to strengthen your legs before you run another race!"



You see, my tenacity is a double edged sword.  I do often achieve the things I go after but sometimes the road doesn't look the way I want it to and my disappointment can be palpable.  So, I'm in strengthening mode.  I am learning some lessons about giving up things in the short-term for long-term gain.  My muscles - be them legs or heart - often shake at the end of tough exercises.

I'm slowing down and enjoying the now - the strengthening.  I am packing PB sandwiches, a sheet, some fruit, and meeting Andy at the door for an impromptu beach picnic on a Thursday night.  (The menu?  Hey, it's what we had on hand!)   I am taking deep breaths when I need to readjust and heading to Starbucks to invent a new plan.  And I'm pouring energy into celebrating the great things and people around us.

I sometimes buy MP3's off Amazon when working on different projects for my job.  I have been known to use the A-Team theme song and Right Now by Van Halen to energize accountants.  Effective?  Honestly, I'm not sure!

The intuitive website recently sent me an email explaining that I may be interested in Journey's Don't Stop Believing.

You know what, Amazon?  I am interested! 

Finally, if you continue to feel compelled, please vote for me to be a featured blogger for Wyndham's Women on their Way.  You can vote once a day until March 31.  Click here to vote.

The Open Road.

I've had our little blog here for almost two years and have truly grown to LOVE escaping to this place to reflect on our life as a young married couple.  It's been a dream of mine for a while to be able to spend more time and energy here writing about our experiences and I think I may be one step closer!

Wyndham has an online resource for women who love to travel called Women on their Way and I recently entered a contest to be a featured blogger on their site.  The bloggers are determined by voters so I am hoping that my loyal followers will take a few moments and vote for me here!

I've put my entry below but you must head to the website (click here!) to vote.  You can vote once a day between March 2 and March 31.

Again, thanks so much for voting but more than that thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings week to week!

My Open Road!

I've often thought about the open road like a blank canvas, a clean sheet of paper or a brand new Microsoft Word document. It's a place to write your story and that's just what I've been doing these last few years.

My husband and I have been married for a little over a year and upon getting married, we packed our bags and set out on the adventure of a lifetime. Ok, let me rephrase that, he accepted a job with a company that moves us every year for three years. But, as I said, we view this as "the adventure of a lifetime."

Our first stop was to Portland, OR and we spent a year of our lives delving into the culture of Portland (and as many surrounding areas that we could get to - Victoria, B.C., Seattle, Napa, Palo Alto, Eugene, Vancouver, B.C., Bend, OR and everywhere in between). Long story, short, we loved every minute of it.

Since then, we have relocated to Melbourne, FL. That's right; we literally DROVE from one coast to the other. Between an engine breakdown, many national park stops and some wonderful food, we quickly learned that no matter where you go, there you are.

We both love the adventures that traveling brings especially when set against the backdrop of a new marriage. We tend to write about our travel with a lot of humor, a little love and a bit of reflection. Ultimately, the dynamic of my creative spirit coupled with my husband's literal mix of army turned lawyer turned engineer always brings a different perspective on our open road.

Cruisin'

Not sure I would ever call myself spontaneous.  I like to walk the course before I run it and find exactly where the uphills are so I can plan accordingly - like I used to in high school cross-country.  But, in life, walking the course ahead of time is impossible and every once in a while you have to do something to shake things up.  So, when the opportunity to go on a 7-day cruise with Andy's parents presented itself, we decided to jump on it.

And, as luck would have it, life further showed us what "shaking things up" is all about when we were surprised with a tax bill from Uncle Sam a few days before we left.  With that news in tow, we boarded the ship and set out to prove that when life hands you lemons, you throw those lemons overboard and order a pina colada!

We cruised to Nassau, Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten and soaked in as much sun as we could handle.  We couldn't have been happier to spend the time with Andy's parents and experience three places neither of us had been before.

The end of a hike in St. Maarten

I was in St. Maarten for one day and they named a beach after me!

A sunset at the end of the day in St. Maarten

And really when life starts handing you fruit that you didn't ask for, is there a better place to deal with it than on a beach - or boat - with your family?

Showering.

The last few weekends have ushered in full-on preparation for Baby Caley.  The focus was on showering – showering with gifts, advice and love as we anxiously await his or her arrival.

I have been blessed with aunts and uncles in my own life that feel more like friends or a second set of parents and it’s them that I want to honor with my own role of aunt.  I hope to be fun when life gets too serious for this little Caley and I hope to be a listening ear when loneliness takes over.  I want to see his* eyes light up when I walk in the room and to hear his stories when he can’t find the words to tell his parents.  But most of all, I hope to show him another side of his mom. 

I hope that through me he gets to see the beautiful friend his mother is.  I hope that when he hears my sister and I laughing way too hard over a bottle of wine and the Dixie Chicks blaring in the background, he sees the person his mother is – fun and good-hearted.  And when she isn’t listening well because she is busy or she snaps at him far too quickly, I hope I have the patience to remind him of how successful his mother is outside of their home too. 

And when my sister fights with this little one about hairspray or going places he shouldn’t have gone and doing things he shouldn’t have done, I will tell him about the tears that ran down his mother’s face as we showered her.  I will tell little Caley that while we showered his mom, she showered her Little Foot with the warm, anxious love of a new mom.  

*I am defaulting to calling the baby a "him" in this piece for simplicity!