Friends in High Places

I tell you what, I have some talented friends. I think I've mentioned before that my friend, Janet Wisner, took some lovely baby photos of Davy several months ago. I will shamelessly plug her again after receiving this little oval mat from her today. It's been so sweet to watch her love for photography grow over the years and to have her make a photo session with a 5 month old happen effortlessly!

The World According to Indigo Girls

Wow. It's been 2 weeks since I last posted. I've been in a bit of an emotional rainstorm of sorts...mostly of the hormonal flavor. But last week there was a sweet parting of the clouds in the form of an Indigo Girls concert. The Fates tried to keep me from it: Davy woke up sickly and I was afraid I'd have to stay home that night...which was, after all, a Wednesday night.


I will try to let the pictures do the talking...but I will mention that the night got more ramped up as the laughter (and the tequila shots) flowed. It's not every week that I get to attend an Indies concert AND celebrate the birthday of one of my favorite people: Miss Wendy Marie Buck Miller.

The night is still innocent. Wendy, Noelle and I had trouble deciding who would be the "X" and the "O" for the classic Chi Omega pic.

Tee hee! Just applying some Burt's Bees! (Liz and Emily prepare to impress the crowd full of estrogen.)

From left to right: Molly (one of Emily's besties visiting), me, Noelle, Wendle, Liz, Emily
Um, Molly? That clove cigarette is indeed in the pic...but you did a good job trying to hold it out of the lens' eye. (note: if you can see Molly's new tattoo, it says "I am the vine, you are the branches. Abide in me." in Spanish.)

Classy ladies! Now, don't hate. Cloves are the ultimate escape to an earlier life. I blame Emily as my bad influence.

The Girls!

While Noelle rocks out Bon Jovi style, Wendy and I do another sorority pose. Doest thou see the couple in front of us? They were the extremely inconspicuous handsome gay men and they stuck out like a sore thumb. More to come from them...


This is me explaining to one of the very social young men that I, indeed, am talented in the art of fake sign language. In fact, after a tequila shot, my talent grows undeniable.

"Are you SERIOUS?"

Indeed I was. I displayed said talent during "Hammer and a Nail." See, folks? I aim to entertain. Oh, there were tons of more photos, many of which you can see the guys attempting to join me at my art. Let me just say - I felt good that night. I forgot how stressed out I'd been. I laughed...a LOT. It was such a gift to be with good friends...I even turned around at the concert only to see Jamie Elder Kerr, one of my favorite high school friends, standing behind me! (She joined in on the fake sign language immediately.) I had to sneak out early because I had an early morning (as in 5:30am) running class to coach. But it was well worth the exhaustion the next day!

Thanks, y'all!

P.S: I forgot to say that the title of this post came from a conversation with Katy the other day. We decided that the Indigo Girls have the answers to all of life's problems in their lyrics -

Ex: Want to go on a trip? "Get out the map, get out the map and lay your finger anywhere down"
Struggling with the existential question of life? "How long till my soul gets it right? Did any human being ever reach that kind of light?"
Worried about the weather? "But the wood is tired, and the wood is old, and we'll make it fine if the weather holds..."

I could go on ad nauseum, but you get my drift...

To Know Her is To Love Her

I have to break my fast from blogging to wish my mom, Sweet Kay, a happy birthday.


There are both many and few words to tell you about my mom but I thought I'd let some photos do the talking. If you were to meet her, you might wrongly assume that she is either quiet or judging, because she might not say much at your first meeting. But she's neither: my mom can be shy. But this lasts only until the two of you have sat down and begun to talk about your life. She is excellent at asking questions and her demeanor is one that puts you at ease immediately, especially if a cup of coffee or a glass of wine are involved! At a large party she will stand in the background and wait for a one on one conversation with someone. She's the perfect match to my dad, the spotlight junkie. :)


I have no idea when exactly my mom came into her deep faith. She wasn't raised, like I was, with conversations about God at the dinner table. I know she began her relationship with Him in high school, as a result of dating my father. She's not the kind who delves into theological debates, though she surely can hold her own, but her spiritual strength is very quiet and sturdy. Every time I spend a meal with her, we end up talking about what God has been saying to her and I come away encouraged and convicted. She's not brassy with it - it's more like spending time around her can feel like a mini-retreat for my soul!



She LOVES to laugh. She probably won't want me to share with you but she thoroughly enjoys raunchy humor. Fart jokes? Man, you'll win her friendship for life. She is the antithesis of the "preacher's wife" in so many ways. I have no idea how she's lived the "life in the fishbowl" for over 30 years...but she has. She can be the perfect dichotomy: able to explain the prophecies in Isaiah over a nice Amaretto sour. Just don't tell anyone that she can't play a single hymn on the piano!

Remember that old Saturday Night Live skit with Mike Myers in the store called, "If It's Not Scottish, It's Crap"? Well, my mom loves the UK. She passed along to me a sort of anglophilia, the love of all things British and Scottish. Some of my favorite memories are being in England, Scotland, and Wales with her.


She IS a scholar: she has her Masters in English and to this day teaches classes at Weatherford college. One of the best gifts I have as a result of being her daughter is the joy of reading. If I am raving about a good book, chances are my mom passed it along to me.


Much like my BFF Katy, my mom often gets a totally blank look on her face when she's thinking. She is slow to process, a good match for me who is as discerning with my words as a bull coming out of the shoots at a rodeo. There has not been a single problem I've encountered that I haven't at some point taken to my mother. She is, without a doubt, the BEST listener I know. She is the opposite of judgmental (except when she's driving - then she might condemn all other drivers to hell for certain minor sins...Momma don't like traffic!) and is careful not to "fix" my problems when I bring them to her. My brother and I both know: when you're in a pickle, call Dad. When you just need to vent, call Mom.

My mom knew Russell was my husband before I did. It was because of her that I even began to think romantically of him. She is WISE.


She's also good at Mommy stuff. She has patience that I don't possess. But you will, at some point, hear her SIGH. That's it. She won't complain...but you'll know by that sigh that you're pushing it.


She's quick to forgive. I love that quality in people. She's a lover, not a fighter.


If you know my mom, you can leave a shout-out! And I guarantee, if she knows you, she loves you. She takes a shine to all who love on her cubs...that's the quickest way to her heart. I'm so glad I'll get some time with her today. I'm 33 years old but I still need my Momma!

I Love you, Momma Kay!

Lil' Video for Mommas

Mother's Day from Dexter Evans on Vimeo.

I hope it's okay that I'm putting this on here. My friend Alli helped create this video for her church's Mother's Day celebration and I think she did a pretty amazing job (she & Dexter)! You will see Miss Davy along with Andrea's Ella & Will. Also, the scene with multiple generations? Those are my friends, The Gaspards.

Enjoy!

Momma's Got Some Stress

Well, I've been offline most of this week. I'm sure I've been missed by tens of...well, ten readers.

I'm dealing with an old nemesis: stress & anxiety. I didn't realize this was an issue for me until December of 2004. Since then I've been able to manage it without medication by using techniques like relaxation, meditation, deep breathing, exercise & nutrition. But for the past two weeks I've been struggling with waking up in the middle of the night with my heart racing. Not knowing where the anxiety is coming from has been difficult too - though there are certainly some red-handed culprits (mostly the nonhuman variety) in my life.

Anyway, pulling back from technology is part of my strategy. Do you guys know how much technology (email, cell phones, television, traffic, etc) contributes to mental illness?* Big time, yo. So if you'll excuse me I'll just be over here with the laptop turned off and ignoring my cell phone while I deep breathe.

In closing, Katy accused me of allegedly judging her for crying during Miley Cyrus' "The Climb". The irony there is that a few weeks ago I was all ready to call her and confess, I'm bawling while driving around and belting out, "ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other siiiiiide - It's the cliiiiiimb!" (Sidebar: due to my stress levels, it only takes a Top 40 Hit to get Momma crying...much to Daddy's chagrin.)

Like my mom always says, "Oh honey...(sensitive pause) where are you in your cycle?"

*What I mean is that stress can induce certain mental illnesses. Please don't hear me say that if you Twitter and drive in traffic that you will get diagnosed with Bipolar.