Tunes for your Sunday.

I hate when I forget about a band that I could have been listening this whole time.

Kudos to James, for the introduction last year, and to Pete, for the gentle reminder.

I forgot to mention

Charlotte is officially a big girl. Just ask her new big girl bed. (Sometimes it probably gets a little confused since she spends the first 20 minutes of the night either climbing into Joan's bed, crying because they "bumped" heads, or desperately trying to open the door since her constant knocks and pathetic "Pa..pa... Pa..pa..s" didn't work.) But, the next several hours, she's quite content snuggled in her matching owl sheets. The plan is to convert that crib into a toddler day bed, and have a little reading nook or spare bed for slumber parties! (When does that start?)

A while back, (we'll call it Valentines Day), Jude arranged for the MSU Show Choir to surprise me at my door step and serenade me. Thankfully, it was more sweet than awkward. It's the closest I've ever been to a flash mob, which would be a dream come true. (hint, hint)

I'm 9.5 inches lighter. (1.5 inches too light, if you ask me. Hair dressers never listen.) I donated it and even though I'm glad I can finally scratch that off my list, I probably won't ever do it again. You should have seen how pathetic my ponytails were to give away. They were damaged and thin - only the size of a nickel. I was hoping for at least a quarter, or even better a silver dollar. Hopefully it won't take another 3 years to get long, because I'm not really digging the new look. But I guess it's growing on me (wah, wah).

Speaking of hair, check out this grey one. I love it. It's only 1.5 inches long (I'm noticing a pattern here...) and wavy. It's holding on for dear life, but it won't seem to grow (yet another pattern...). I plan on keeping all of my greys because I want to go grey naturally. I hope I end up looking as good in person as I do in my dreams with a head full of salt and pepper. But watch, it'll probably be more like wet chalk.

We just got our quarter share of meat from a grass-fed steer yesterday and I'm super excited! Even more excited that it cost me $2.75 a pound and fits in the discounted freezer we bought from the consignment shop for $65, which also fits easily into our enormous pantry. Win, win, win, and win.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

We're not in Sulphur, so we can't tell you in person.
You're probably not awake yet, so we can't say it on the phone.
Your Facebook friends will probably write it first, so we won't do it there either.

But, we have this blog (and access to Photo Booth & Youtube), and that's how we'll say, "Happy Birthday Papa John!" and "I love you" in a song...

Kind of hard to hear Jim Croce and not think of my childhood. 

Thank you for the memories, Dad.

On repeat.

I'm just really digging this song right now and I hope I don't scandalize anyone by posting its video, but it's only art afterall.

Nothing worth sharing

Jude and I are going to see The Avett Brothers play for free tonight in Starkville. And particularly on this Veteran's Day, certain lines from their song, "Murder in the City," speak to the incredible sacrifice so many military families have made for the safety and comfort of my own. In case you don't want to listen to the whole song, the beautiful lines:

Make sure my sister knows I loved her
Make sure my mother knows the same
Always remember, there is nothing worth sharing
Like the love that let us share our name

A "thank you" seems lacking.

Three More Days...

So, Jude left for Minnesota today (because he's a famous graphic designer, having his own exhibition and giving fancy lectures to college students) and as we were leaving the airport, I told Joan that Papa would back in just three days. Her response, "Can we listen to the three more days song, then?"

Yes, darling, we can.

Music to my ears

You have no idea (or maybe you do if you live in a city like Starkville, MS) how excited I am by the amazing shows we'll be attending in the very near future. In October we're going to Birmingham to see Fleet Foxes (Their song Helplessness Blues should be playing above right now...)! And in November, The Avett Brothers are doing a show in Starkville. Yes, in Starkville! Did I mention it's free?! (Play their video for I and Love and You when Fleet Foxes is done.)

All this good music at such close proximity makes Jude and I feel like we're in college again, or that we still live 2 hours from Chicago. Either way, I'll take it. It's good to feel cool again.

By the way, if you're my friend in town and want to carpool with us to Birmingham... you know my number...

This is Ours.

This, our wedding song. (It was hard to decide between putting this one on here or Forever My Friend by Ray LaMontange which has become our song over our married years together. You should still go listen to it because Ray is pretty amazing.)


This, our verse.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.
1 John 4:7

This, our burden.
3003 Geranium Dr., Bloomington, IL

This, our joke.
"Riddikulus!" "Quidditch!"

This, our show. (Parks and Rec, you're a strong contender.)
The Office

These, our hobbies.
Art, Music, Football, and Film

These, our names.
Judebaker, Alisha Pie, Babers my Neighbors, Jumunji, and Hun

This, our joy.


















This, our life.

Happy 5th Anniversary, Jude. I love you and I'm blessed to share these with you.

We also want to wish Big Poppa a very Happy Birthday today!

Sing it, Ray.

That's right, Jude gets home on Thursday! This song just might be on repeat as I make my way back to Starkville today.



Three More Days by Ray Lamontagne
**Update: I just saw that Jude put this same video on his blog. We talked about how I would be listening to this song all the way home, but I think it's pretty cute that we both blogged it...

[Italian] Cafe

If you knew Jude and I in college and watched our relationship form, then you'd know that Marc Broussard started it all. He's basically why we got married. See, Jude and I were great friends and he introduced me to the music of singer/song writer Marc Broussard from Carencro, Louisiana. It was our first real connection and bond as friends.

I still remember the first time we went to see Marc play in Lafayette. I went, Stacey went, Jude went, and Drea went. Who's Stacey? Oh, she's my friend who eventually married my cousin. Who's Drea? Oh, that was Jude's girlfriend at the time...

And now, tonight, I'm going with Stacey to see Marc play - sans Jude and obviously sans Drea - full circle, kind of...

Music has always been a huge part of my relationship with Jude. And it's interesting to see the evolution of our tastes from then to now (always at the same time). No, Marc Broussard is no longer playing over and over in my car as it once was, but his riffs still give me chills, especially in this tune, French Cafe. I'm sure Jude's somewhere in Italy, loving me from some little cafe, too.


Lyrics, because I like to know them when I listen,

Friendly people
But I can't make out all the words
Melodies so sweet through all the trees
From different birds

All around me
Sights and sounds and songs I've never heard
Swearing I'll be back again
One more week might do me in

And I stop to catch my breath
On the slippery steps of Angouleme
And with my little finger
Across the town I write your name

I can't stop drinking the wine
Can't stop counting the days
A world apart, an ocean away
Just loving you baby
Sittin' here, loving you
From this little French cafe

Oh, yeah
Turn the bed down, baby
Pray that jumbo plane's gonna bring me back
Got roses and bazaracs
Six Bordeauxs all in a sack

We may know some scrapes
But some things we won't ever lack
All the fields of Beaujolais
Couldn't buy you anyway
Couldn't buy you babe

All the oysters in Marennes
Whole French army and Charles de Gaulle
A million Francs wouldn't phase me at all
From loving you baby
Sittin' here loving you
From this little French cafe

Sittin' here loving you
From this little French cafe

Hymn #101

Well, Bonnie's always doing this, (and she has really great taste in music), so I thought I'd give it a try. Here's what's been playing in my head today.


Hymn #101 by Joe Pug. Yum.