"We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal." -Thich Nhat Hanh I have been running on empty for weeks. Between work, kids, and life, there is never enough time to do everything and my bucket has steadily been draining. Nights turn into restless sleep. Days are a treadmill of "have-to" and "need-to" items getting checked off the todo list. So today, I slept.
We slept in and then Luke brought me pancakes in bed. We drank coffee, played on our phones, watched some Netflix. Before I knew it, my eyes were heavy and back to sleep I went. Luke got me up around noon--we headed to lunch and then to Rock Creek to have a cyst excised. And then, it was back to bed. All I did today was sleep and it was INCREDIBLE! I did not realize how exhausted I was both physically and mentally. I had this item on my list and I am so glad I did--it gave me permission to genuinely rest and relax without the guilt. And you know what? I am putting it right back on the list to do again!
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"Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith." -Garth Brooks Ahhhhh.....another good friend stopped by today while I scrapbooked on my journey through the best selling albums. Garth Brooks Double Live was released when I was in college and I remember listening to it and thinking that it was music gold. Today, I felt much the same.
Some of my favorite parts of the album are the unexpected turns at old songs. The Long version of "The Thunder Rolls" is a longtime favorite. I remember watching the story of this song unfold in the music video of this song and was blown away when the extended version told the whole tale. It seemed so risky in the 90's for a male to sing about domestic violence and today it seems like not that much has changed. Here is hoping that at my next full listen, it is more common place. Of course my favorite Garth song always will be "Friends in Low Places" and the extended version here does not disappoint. It is the best every time! Another favorite on this album is the Huey Lewis Duet of "Working for a Living." As a kid, I loved me some Huey (hello, can we say Back to the Future soundtrack) so I was super happy to see him highlighted here. The Harmonica intro to the song is perfect and makes you want to jump up and dance. This song also makes me smile a lot more now that I actually work for a living and get the sentiments a little more "realistically." A less known song that I really liked on this disc was "Wrapped up in You" featuring Mo Keb. This love song is upbeat and who doesn't want to feel the way he describes. The melodies and accompaniment bring an instant smile to my face too! Again I am sad that I can't access my Garth fix anywhere besides Amazon music. I get it, I really do, but these great songs aren't mixed into my daily lists. I guess I need to suck it up and figure out how to use amazon to create some play lists so I can smile at the memories that come with Garth! "He was a wise man who invented beer." -Plato Goal: Drink 40 beers from Colorado before I turn 40. This seemed like a super ambitious feat when I started in November. Why? Because I generally drink the same 3 or 4 beers: Blue Moon, Dry Dock Apricot, a good Hefeweizen here and there or any blueberry beer that I can get my hands on. So, I set out to try 40 different Colorado brews to break out of my rut and find some new favorites. What follows are my random thoughts on my journey!
1. Tommy Knocker Harvest Pumpkin Dinner out at The Northside tavern with the Fearnows. Smooth and rich, best pumpkin beer of what has been a weak pumpkin beer season. The music was so loud we could hardly hear. 2. Avery White Rascal Another dinner at the Northside tavern, this time with the Brabant’s. An old go to, I love the spice kick of this smooth wheat. 3. Fat tire Belgian white Same dinner at Northside, a surprise like. Usually not a fan of fat tire but this one was a great drink. A big improvement over regular Fat Tire (which is my first craft beer :)) 4. Blue moon apricot Happy hour with Like and Alissa at the Rock Rest before a meeting at Mines. More sour than I’d like but passable as sours go. 5. Breckinridge Christmas Three beers out with Aimee, without realizing it was so strong. Woke up with a killer headache, but enjoyed again at the next happy hour so must have been yummy. 6. Butcher Knife the Stinger 7. Stem Ciders Pear We invited the Krumpy's to a fundraiser for the Twenty Brew Tap House after a thief broke in. Good beer, good company and a good cause). Even made it on the news: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/front-range/westminster/westminster-beer-community-steps-in-to-save-local-brewery-after-it-was-hit-by-thieves 8. Old Chicago O'Dell big cookie ala mode Happy hour with the girls, it was deep brown and rich. Sweet deliciousness of my favorite things mixed together. 9. Bierstadt Laberhaus Munich Helles 10. Jagged Mountain This Beer Really Ties The Room Together 11. Bruz Beers Dame Blanche Christmas with Kirsten and Lynn. The Helles was a teeth cutting beer-easy and smooth. The room beer was rich, hairy winter goodness, and the dame Blanche was my dream wheat-warm spice flavor that was smooth all the way down. Laughs, joy and feeling young—sweet memories on a cold night 12. Dry Dock Apricot Sweet and smooth, not that new. Had fun catching up with Aimee and Christy in the new year. 13. Elevation Wave Wheel We celebrated my Birthday with this one-a bit bitter but good times with girlfriends. Spoiled with signs, books gift cards and a hand made mug. 14. Collette Great Divide Smooth and rich, a great beer. Luke said I don’t like farm ales-so wrong. Dinner out with Brabant’s at Big Daddy's Burger Bar. 15. Breckinridge Avalanche Happy hour at Mindspark after Alice Keeler. Being wined and dined-teachers turn to rock stars. A new label on the bottle of an old favorite 16. 14er Rhubarb Pie Cream Ale Sour beer over family dinner before Luke heads to Chicago for work. Boys asked about and mocked my life list. Not the best beer on my journey for sure. 17. Station 26 Tangerine Cream-childhood orange creamsicle in a beer. Perhaps my perfect beer! Delicious! (Now it is a staple in my refrigerator!) 18. Epic Lil Brainless Raspberries -Jordet Family Birthday dinner at parry’s-perfect mix of tart and sweet! And $4!!!! 19. Weld Works Blueberry Pie-yummy 20. Declaration canned Veiled Vixen Girls night out with Erin and Kirsten at Twenty Brew. So fun to just hang out and not have any expectations or kids or husbands to entertain. Uber pizza and the sweetest blue berry beer ever. My heart is so happy! (The Veiled Vixen was meh!--nothing more to say about that!) 21. Chocolate Orange Stout Breckenridge Brewery -smooth and sweet, full bodied 22. Coors Light- easy peasy-great after a heavy beer Happy hour with Aimee and Christy--They laughed at me when I ordered a Coors light and asked if I was going to live. 23. Funkwerks Tropic King Smooth and Sweet. Celebrating Chuck's new job with Erin and Aimee. TGIF after a VERY long conference week. 24. Breckenridge vanilla porter 25. 38 state cinnamon girl 26. Renegade depravity (peanut butter cup imperial stout) Dinner out for 5280 Week at the Hideaway followed by drinks at 20 brew with Chuck and Erin. Last parents night out. Cinnamon sweet and easy, porter smooth and rich. Stout over the top and yummy peanut flavors 27. Colorado native, Coors best craft beer, this is always a yummy one. Had fun celebrating CJ’s 3rd birthday and laughing as he flew his "Donnie" Plane around 28. Denver Beer Company PretzelAssassin-salty and Carmely, a unique fun flavor 29. Proust dunkelwerk-Good German Beer 30. Blue moon cinnamon horchata-An old favorite back again. Love this mix of beer and cinnamon 31. TommyKnocker Butthead Ale--Dark, rich and a bit of kick. Definitely would drink this one again! St Patrick’s Day at the Brabant's! Spring has sprung and we enjoyed drinking on the porch in the sun. Blake won poker with a Royal Strait! 32. Blarney Stone Kokipelli-Rich and smooth 33. Breckinridge snow glare-A little bit hoppy but a solid beer Old Chicago with aimee and Christy for one of the funnest happy hours we have had in recent memory. It is great to let go of life and smile :) 34. Breckenridge Irish nitro stout--Smooth but bland 35. Avery barrel aged coconut porter-- High octane, great coconut flavor A pleasant Sunday afternoon at the pub to watch Dylan’s school of rock performance. Great grunge and fun people! 36. Anita strawberry harvest lager- Bland bland bland 37. Seed stock vanilla espresso stout- Rich and dark, little bit too much coffee flavor Happy hour with Aimee after the first day of state standardized testing. I have drank more dark beers this week than in my life. 38. Lone tree red-a but biter nothing special Happy hour with Julie at Perry's. Lots of fun to go out with someone new. 39, Prost Helles- Yummy. Just right helles First day of spring break! Here is to a week of rest and relaxation! 40, Epic brewing Perry’s Landon’s wanna wall wheat with blood orange- Smooth and easy Dinner out with Sandi. after making all the appetizers for Matt and Sarah's wedding! Whew, I made it. My favorites were the Blueberry Pie and Tangerine Cream! Now to go back to my favorite wheat beers--Blue Moon and White Rascal--HERE I COME!!! "I dearly remember the old days... Fleetwood Mac had this one-of-a-kind charm. They were gregarious, charming and cheeky onstage. Very cheeky. They'd have a good time." -Christine McVie 4 discs? That was the first thought that came to mind when I opened this album on Spotify. What could they possibly play for that long? However, I was pleasantly surprised--this was a musical trip to a charming place filled with lovely instrumental accompaniments and powerful lyrics sung in perfect harmony. It would take me hours to go over every single thing that popped out to me, but here are five short snippets of my thought on this collection.
Landslide This is the song that I most associate with Fleetwood Mac but where is it? Not on this album! Although surprised, I am kind of grateful--I got to hear some amazing other music that I really enjoyed. There are WAY better songs and I never even gave them a chance because I wasn't a huge fan of this. Oops! Bad on me! Don't Stop As soon as this song came on, my head jumped back to Bill Clinton's election in 1992. I remember the excitement of having a "cool" president who could play the saxophone on late night TV and a strong wife who had a career of her own. Listening to the lyrics now, I once again was reminded that we have the power to keep on pushing through all of the challenges in our political climate to make tomorrow a better day. The tune is catchy and fun and I can't sing the chorus with out smiling! Never Going Back Again This song is amazing. (Thank goodness--there are multiple versions of it across the four disc set). I love the happy feel of the background music through out--it just makes you feel like there is hope out there. And--the lyrics remind us that when we fall down we can get back up and choose not to go back there! My favorite arrangement was the instrumental version on disc four--it just makes me smile. I am setting my alarm on Alexa to this song--it is a great way to start the day. Dreams I feel like I should be an angsty teen in the 70s as soon as this song comes on. It has been a soundtrack through my life with out me even knowing it. I really love the bass line on this song--it just keeps pushing it forward and makes me smile. The line "Thunder only happens when its raining" really stuck out to me as well. It is a stressful time in life right now and this reminder was important. Songbird (Live) The whole second disc filled with live versions of this disc was a surprising treat. The acoustic feel to this song in particular made me feel like I am in a dark club relaxing. This is one of my favorite new finds on this musical journey. So glad I listened all the way through (even though it took me more than a week of planning periods). I have a lot of new songs on my play list and a smile on my face. "Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious."-Stephen Hawking Space science has been one of my loves though out my entire life. I remember in 1989 seeing Stephen Hawking on television talking (through his computer) about A Brief History of Time and being mesmerized by it. Throughout the years, he has become a pop icon for science and one of the items when I made this list was to meet this incredible man.
Today, this great man passed away and this list adventure was lost. The closest I ever got was having the same flight coach on my ZeroG flight as he did. She talked about his joy at the adventure when we were on our flight. I hope we all get to have the same joy in our lives! *Trivia: Steven Hawking was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. He died on Einstein's 139th birthday and on Pi day, the day each year when scientists and mathematicians celebrate the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. "You live for the fight when it's all that you've got"-Bon Jovi Yesterday around lunch, I got a text "Got Bon Jovi Tickets--want to go?" My reply: "YES!" Twenty four hours later, I met Luke, Blake and Julie and we headed down to Pepsi Center to see this legendary band.
The concert was AMAZING! There were so many reasons why! 1. It was Blake's first concert. Over the past several years, we have debated when he would be "old enough" to actually enjoy it. Today seemed like the right time and he had a blast! 2. Today would have been my grandma's 90th birthday. As a kid, my cousins and I were the "hotshots" and did shows on her back steps. The closing song on nearly every performance was "Livin' on a Prayer" so it made me smile and think of her when this song came around. 3. Club level tickets are amazing--lots of space in the seats and not as many people. We also had a straight shot of Jon Bon Jovi's rear end which was pretty impressive. (now his hair was another story....) 4. Life has been throwing a lot of stress my way, so it was amazing to just let go, sing like no one was listening and dance like no one was watching. A cold beer, good music, and two of my favorite guys helped fill my heart up once again too! This wasn't a planned spot on my list, but I left with such joy I decided it counted as a life list experience. I hope Blake looks back fondly years from now on his first concert and smiles too! "Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath, and a glass of wine." -Thomas Aquinas "Calgone, take me away." Growing up, the commercials on TV told us that if we jumped in a bubble bath, all of the troubles that come with adulating would go away. Fast forward to the 2010's and common wisdom tells us that a glass of wine at the end of the day will do the same thing. So, after what felt like a week that would NEVER end, I decided this afternoon that it was time to tackle "taking a bath with a glass of wine" off the list.
How was it? Relaxing. In a world that is filled with noise and "go, go, go" it was lovely to stop for a while and do NOTHING. The warm water soothed both sore muscles and a bruised soul. The wine was light a yummy--probably a little too sweet for most wine aficionados but I liked it all the same. The best part, taking a few minutes to be calm and realize that the harried pace of Spring in schools will once again move on and it will all work itself out. A new ritual? Probably not. I still prefer showers and beer, but after this long week, it was just what the doctor ordered. "Love songs are one of the great essences of life, the only thing that's lasting"- George Benson Another old friend came by for a visit on this journey. Tonight I listened to "Come on Over" by Shania Twain and I was instantly transported back to the year Luke and I were engaged and getting married. Songs from this record were all over country radio and the love songs were frequently played on hot summer nights as we dated.
My favorite song on this album is still definitely "You're Still the one." The long term love described in this song was a lofty goal for a young couple, but now 17 years later, it is a way of life. "We knew we'd get there someday" definitely describes the life we get to live each and every day. We have a strong marriage, great family and friends, a beautiful home, and two successful careers. And the best part, he is "...still the one I want for life." As I listened through this album, I had a hard time not putting every single song on my playlist. "Man, I feel like a woman" still makes me want to put on my favorite pair of jeans and go line dancing with my friends. "From this Moment On" remains me of the last slow dance at our wedding. "Don't be Stupid" still makes me smile. From beginning to end, my young love story played out and brought back great memories. "Blackbirds singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive." -The Beatles Next up on the list? The infamous White Album by the Beatles. This two disc album definitely was VERY stylistically different from the previous Beatles album on the list. You can feel the band moving into the summer of love with the odd lyrics and eastern vibe of the record.
My favorite track on the album is definitely "Blackbird." The sweet simple melody combined with the folksy accompaniment made my heart smile. Its lyrics definitely resonated with me as a mom and teacher--we have to just encourage our kids to wait for the right moment to arrive for them to fly. As Blake gets ready to fly the coop to high school, it was a particularly sweet moment. Other favorites on this two disc set included "Back in the USSR", "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da", "Revolution 1" and "Birthday". A lot of the other music on this set was just too far out there for a Saturday morning clean--Rocky Racoon, Revolution 9, and Piggies felt a little too close to an acid trip to be enjoyable. |
AuthorAlmost 40 and tired of the treadmill, I am going to LIVE each day as a new adventure while finishing todo items on my life list. Mom, wife, teacher, geek! Archives
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