What am I doing this for?

This American Life

My father owns a small 1953 Tripacer and when I am in that tiny little plane I feel safe. However when I fly commercial I tend to get a little nervous. Which would be fine if I fly once a year but sometimes I fly 3 times in a day. One way I deal with this is with my ipod and the podcast of a NPR show called This American Life.  Something about the stories. The calm coolness of Ira Glass voice whatever it is it gets me through a flight even the bumpy ones. I get lost in the story and the way they set it up you can close your eyes and see the story unfold. Showtime picked up This American Life and they now are on season two of a TV series and it does not disappoint. The episode above is a great sample. No worries if you get hooked you can download season one from itunes... After watching the main story above I had one of those full circle moments. It's the line at the end when Michael says "I really don't have time to waste on fear." 

Admitting that I have a problem.

It's time I admit that I have a problem. I've joked about it in the past but I need to seriously fess up. I am a chronic furniture mover. There I said it. It's true. I come from a long line of chronic furniture movers. I'm not going to out them but I have family members who have confessed to me that they have a problem. I can laugh it off most days. It's most often the bed. Then when home for more the 48 hours it becomes the whole house. Kitchen Fridge isn't even safe. It's even started to carry over to my road case. It's never in the right spot the best spot the I feel comfortable here spot. Which leads me to finding happiness... maybe I just secretly wanted to be an interior designer and ended up working production? or maybe I just really enjoy change. I've said many times I thrive on chaos so perhaps this just feeds that addiction. Whatever the case may be I see no harm in I look at it as a quirk. I feel better now I am going to put the house back together now. So, do you have any quirks you need to share? 

"I don't go all the way."

13.1 miles. I completed my first half marathon 2 hours 37 minutes. It's amazing what you can do if you set your mind to it. I think having my ipod nano helped. I remember Will Smith at the kick off, Rage Against the Machine at Mile 5, Fergie at Mile 8, and Indigo Girls as I crossed... At that point I was suppose to be doing my cool down walk but didn't quite keep the pace I thought. LOL. It was so much fun and to the person who at mile 12 said to me "you are doing awesome" thanks for that push that seriously helped. Liv and I waited in line for after-the-run snacks and some camera lady shoved a camera in our faces and asked what hurt we both smiled and said we felt great. She pulled the camera away and said we were lying. Lady we both woke up at 5am and just ran 13.1 miles... You really don't want us to go all www smack down on you do you? sighs... anyway.. that day was spent refueling and just relaxing... not so much sore until the very next day when you try to walk down stairs ouch ouch and ouch... but the line of the day was when Olivia said if someone was chasing her right now she wouldn't even be able to run away. it was funny. it was sad but most of all it was true. 

Glenwood Hot Springs

This is a must if you are ever in the area... I had been putting this one off as the thought of being in a swimsuit in the winter in CO seemed a bit insane to me... Now I want a yearly membership! :-) You pay the $13.50... You can rent towels if you don't want to bring them with. You walk into the locker room (bring a 4 Quaters with you) you place your things into a locker and take a quick shower. You step out from the locker rooms and the cold air hits. I went to the closest point of entry which turns out to be where the water comes in at a nice hot 104 degrees... It feels amazing.

Hanging Lake

Nate and I hiked the Hanging Lake trail...This is the second time we've done this trail. The first hike it was tricky and full of ice. It took us hours! This time it was 55 Degress in Nov. so it wasn't as tricky but it was fun to remember the parts that we had to slide down. This is a great hike it's rated as Moderate/Difficult and has some steep climbs but without the ice is easy! 

Here is Nate at the start of the trail...

Pittsburgh, PA - Gluuteny

Gluten Free Sugar Cookie with Icing! :-) 

Yum!

Manchester, NH

Ashley brought me this mug today from the Red Arrow Diner... 

So freaking cute and he matches my case! 

Thanks Girl! :-)

Gluten Free Boston

I found this on my desk just now... Gluten Free Pasta! 

Thank You to Matt & Andrew! 

Belly Full!

Flaptastic

Soyon just borrowed my head to fix one of the  headbands... 

Good Times...

 10.17.08  - Chicago, IL 

My 35th Birthday.. 

My Dad's 66th Birthday.

Happy Birthday to us!

A Newborn

Rebecca and Thom had a baby boy... Marshall James.

He's pretty cool he eats, poops, and sleeps... typically boy.

Jesus is way cool...

He could have played guitar better than Hendrix

He could've told the future

He could've baked the most delicious cake in the world

He could've scored more goals then Wayne Gretzky

He could've danced better than Barishnikov 

Jesus could have been funnier than any comedian you can think of

Jesus was way cool

-King Missile 

It's Sunday... I'm in San Diego today working... Sunday's are tough for me. Slow days... Limited time to get items people may need. Seems everyone is on a clock of Noon - 5pm. This allows everyone to go to church in the mornings and evenings... However on the road Sunday becomes just another load in... The emails slow down as it appears most people have this thing called a weekend. I guess a majority of the population is allowed to take Saturday and Sunday off. who knew... so back to Sunday's... Sunday or as I like to refer to it the day of our lord... So with that being said I give you my solution to curing my Sunday blues... the bobble head Jesus.

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Kodak Throw Away Camera - $21.00

Ticket to Disneyland - $69.00

Personalized Mouse Ears - $10.00

Stumbling off the bus into a day off with a hotel that offers a free shuttle to Disneyland*... PRICELESS!

*Did I mention it was My First Trip to Disneyland! 

 

I'm more myself when I am with you...

words spoken from the man that shares my heart...

Lucky

I just got home from seeing Pat Green at City Hall. At one point during the show my friend Frank Ortega turns and says "There's nothing fake about Pat Green."  I am still smiling. Great show, good energy and yes... Frank is right there is nothing fake about Pat Green. 

Kinder words...

Patty Griffin always has amazing songs. She has one called Long Ride Home. Cameron Crowe used it in his movie Elizabethtown. The song is about a man riding home from his wife's funeral. There's a line in the song... "How hard would it have been to say some kinder words instead." The line reminds us of what we were told as children "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all." Okay then you grow up and well easier said then done. I've had some harsh things said about me and I've said some harsh things in the heat of the moment that I can never take back. I'm still learning how to live life. After all there is no owners manuel. The habit for me is to say the kinder words. 

When was the last time someone said Kinder words to you? When was the last time you spoke kind words?

Here's what I got recently.. "Angela, you never find ways to stop helping people, do you?." This was spoken to me by a fellow crew member at Ozzfest after offering to print his boarding pass. It took sometime for it to sink in but when it did it really made me smile *Thanks Stew! 

My middle name is Mae.

A kindred spirit

Mesmerized by your strength 

touched by your kindness

You've given us all courage 

Never concerned about your own comfort

Always comforting other you gave

Your heart and soul

Always

Taught us a lesson with our inner child

Keep it Simple

A teacher

A mother

A sister

A wife

"Day at a time"

Just when we think we'll never know happiness again

life comes back -AMH

i wrote that for my mom nine years ago... 

I was 24 when my mother lost her battle with cancer on 9.8.99

She learned in 1978 that she had malanoma.  

For 21 years I had a mother who was a walking miracle

I took that for granted

it's what you do when you are young you disagree 

you tell them how wrong they are and how they don't understand you

then one day...

you wake up and you hear words leave your mouth that are almost a direct quote of that person you swore didn't understand you....

turns out...

they really did know.

My Mother's name was Mae.

Small Town

Nothing like walking out to a garden in the morning and picking some fresh green beans with my daddy. :-) Look how green and fresh! On the lunch menu that day:

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Green Beans

Fresh Lettuce...

...No I cannot forget where it is that I come from 

I cannot forget the people who love me

Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town

And people let me be just what I want to be.

-JCM

Not planning

It seems like most of my life I have been told that I must have a plan. A guideline of sort. I'm happy to report that I never  really came up with one. It use to really bother me 5 year plan, 10 year plan... what are you doing with your life... I finally figured it out. 34 years & 9 months... My plan is to live. You might be surprised at how much people don't. It's not always easy. 

You make people nervous...

Today I was standing at the airport in OKC, OK preparing to check on to a flight back to Nashville when I asked the agent... Got anything flying into St. Louis? He said NO. He said that's it what you have in your hand and I repeated... No sir, not nashville. Do you have anything into St. Louis? He looked like I was taking away his birthday... ma'am there are no more flights to... and I looked him in the eyes... he finally made eye contact with me and typed something into the computer. There is a flight leaving at 4:30 it's been delayed. I'll take it. I dialed my cell phone and on the other end my daddy answered the phone in his familer 'hello" Dad I'll be landing at 6:00pm in St. Louis. "good deal he said I'm on my way." An hour and thirty minutes later I was hugging my dad and eating a great meal at O'Charley's. 

Finding happiness is easy if you follow your heart. Dig deep and see what is you really need at that momment. The key here is just that what you need, not everyone else,  just you. For me it was hug from my dad turns out it's just what he needed as well. :-) 

"It's life sometime you fall"

"It's life sometimes you fall" -wise words once spoken to me by a 7 yr old. 

Healthy Obsession

I've been traveling for work so Biggie has been with his dad. (he's a joint custody dog) I picked him up last night actually he picked me up... car battery gone wrong... anyway, I missed him a bunch so I thought I would talk about my Healthy Obsession. Biggie. Yes, I love my big white gassy English Bulldog *giggles* I don't care if you think he is spoiled because he thinks you should share whatever it is you are eating. I mean seriously call the dog whisperer guy on me because he growls at me every night at bedtime when I am helping him into the bed. I mean He's 10 years 4 months aka 72 yrs old. He gets to be grumpy at some point in the day. Biggie came into my life about six months after my mother lost her 21 year battle with malenomia. He has outlasted my marriage and lived in 5 states! If you have had the honor of meeting Biggie you understand why in the photo above I am smiling so "Big".  I love my dog more then most people get over it. What is your healthy obsession?

Kicking & Screaming...

So lately I've been pretty busy working on a couple advances: Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Monsters of Rock, and Ozzfest. It's pretty funny one call I am talking about 3 inches of Blood next call I'm talking about where Santa's going to land. When people ask me what tour I'm on I can't help but say Kicking & Screaming. LOL! So what are you working on? Not that it defines you but as a conversation piece? 

Learning to Listen...

My friend Maggie hooked me up with a wonderful church when I lived in Chicago. I loved the messages, the pastor always made me laugh. I haven't lived in Chicago since 2000. I really haven't taken the time to seek out a church since. My excuse is lame to busy just not enough time. My good friend Snelly made a remark about this pastors blog and how she thought she might want to check out his church. I surprised myself and said what are you doing tomorrow let's go. *steps back* wait did I just volunteer to go to church. The girl who was brought up on Jimmy Swaggart and raised Assembly of God. Who was required to clean her room and go to church on Wednesday and Sunday AM/PM if she wanted to go roller skating on Friday nights. Really just said what what are you doing tomorrow let's go. So...we went to crosspoint and something happened. The pastor made me laugh. (He also made me cry but don't you dare tell anyone that!) The lesson was simple yet complex. He even used a vending machine as prop. (I find myself wanting peanut m&m's) Don't pray like God is a vending machine and pick out what you want and walk away. Learn to Listen. He asked everyone to think of the first word you associate with the word Pray. My word was release. I needed a reminder, I didn't know I was missing anything but I stopped to Listen and guess what... I guess I needed me some God. :) *Thanks Snelly* P.S. I also stopped at the CVS and got me some peanut m&m's.

Avoiding your Destiny 101

I have been running my whole life... I haven't spent more then 2 years in one home. It wasn't always that way I had one house growing up (dad still lives there) At age 17 I left that house and moved to Lumberton, NC to complete my Junior year. I really haven't stopped moving since. I hit the two year mark and off I go. Most people are weary of change and I embrace it. I actually thrive off it. So I find myself looking at October 2008, it marks two years in the 704 square feet mansion I bought in Nashville. So I have started looking at houses in *insert city* as it was time to run. Then I realized something while watching of all things Kung Fu Panda...it was the power of the IMAX effect or something but the wise old turtle Oogway borrows an old french proverb "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." jaw to the ground. what. So all this "running" all this time... I turn 35 in October and as gift to myself I will embrace the two year mark feet grounded with a happy heart and a home filled with love. 

Don't forget to have a good time...

They say it takes more muscles to frown then it does to smile (http://www.snopes.com/science/smile.asp) and there for awhile I couldn't seem to find my smile... I think it's back. :-)

Vitamin D

My friend Olivia says "My Freckles live in Florida." I seriously think she needs to turn this into a T-shirt cause it's true. I think this needs to be a mass print and not just the airbrushed kind she had made at that festival that said "I heart Mike Webb" although that shirt was cool on so many other levels.  Sighs... I type this as it pours down rain in Nashville and the weather widget on my mac informs me it's sunny and 81 there and I bet Sprinkles still has that Lime sorbet... How is it that I walked/ran 3 miles everyday there and here I can barely make it to the mailbox and back... I taste that key lime butter grouper, hear sting chanting on the lawn,  and I am still laughing about the pink kayak and wonder how a person is suppose to get back into that thing once you fall out...or maybe that's it you just can't fall out? Maybe there is no reset button. Well I know one thing for sure my reset button and my freckles both live in florida. Thanks Liv!

They can't all be happy endings.

My friend Hilary has had 22 surgery's in the past 2 years.  She is currently stuck in a wheelchair while she recovers. However this blog is not about her amazing story (she will need to be the one to tell that) I just want to tell you about a movie she picked out for us to watch "the diving bell and the butterfly...the "true" story of jean do bauby.  so after seeing the movie I order the book for two reasons 1. I figure if a man can blink his book out one letter at a time I can find time to read his book. 2. let's hear the real story. Movies always make changes to what they think "we" as and audience will want to see. How messed up is that. Take Nicholas Sparks books for example when they take his books and turn them into movies they change the endings... I've stopped watching...Life isn't always a happy ending.

plays well with others

Recently watched "Into the Wild" the story of Chris McCandless's life journey. In the movie he writes the words happiness isn't real unless it is shared. Those words have stayed with me... When we are young we are taught to share yet as we grow older we tend to become selfish at a time when we have more to share? I think we all need to go back to preschool days when the report cards reminded us reminded us to play well with others and share. 

forgive sounds good...forget I don't like I should..

Ever have someone do something to you that you didn't think you could ever get over...

maybe they muttered ill will toward you, or lied, broke a promise... I was talking to my buddy Luke Lowes and he told me about his pastors most recent service Pastor says write down each person you have not fogiven onto a potato now carry that bag of potatoes around with you wherever you go and by the end of the day you will not want the burden of carrrying around that bag so you will forgive...in that moment I realized that sometimes in life people are going to have there own fears and you can't change that so why carry around all that weight? Today I learn to forgive...weight lifted.

Pooh, Poo or just plain Sh*!

"Well" Said Pooh, "what I like best..." and then he had to top and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but didn't know what it was called. - Winnie The Pooh

It hit me when I was picking up my dog's poo... Happiness. 

Why then why? Simple... I was at the start of walking my dog and walking my dog makes him very happy and him being happy is a basic abc to my happiness. 

There are moments in life right before you get the sweet stuff that we should learn to enjoy...even if that means putting up with some Sh*!

motherless child

It was raining when I found out she had passed... 

I wanted to cry but I couldn't.

I was going to be strong for you because I knew what life without a mother was like.

I knew the challenges...I was going to be strong. Then I saw you.

We held hands and we laughed, We held hands and we cried. 

To young to not have mothers, two sisters gone to cancer. 

Two woman left behind to pick up the pieces and carry on.

You with your husband and your sweet baby girl and me with a life I can never explain...

So much more then just a mothers child.