The Soundtrack of My Life
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I’m singing along with the iPod this evening. Amazing how almost every song is one of my favorites! :-) It’s also amazing how certain songs can instantly transport me to time and place gone by. To people I’ve known. People I’ve loved. Experiences I experienced. “The Soundtrack of My life!”
“Anything For You,” by Gloria Estefan is in my ear and I’m singing along much to the chagrin of my neighbors, for sure! (apartment living) A time in Roswell when I was hurting over love lost. I wish I could find the English/Spanish version, but so far no “luck.”
Here’s Godly and Cream with “Cry.” Great break-up, drown in your sorrows song!
There are hundreds of songs on this iPod. Each with it’s own story, feeling, person, place, experience. Some stories I may tell here someday. Most, probably not. But they are ALL mine to cherish.
Funny. Since I love weather, many of them also have a season, or even a specific type of weather, associated with them. That is a really funny thing about memories. Experiences are all lived through our own set of “bents.” Those things that God has put in us that make us us. You may not associate weather with most of your memories! You aren’t wired that way.
The other thing about looking back. While a song may bring back strong feelings of a person, or a place, or a time, it’s now filtered through my life in Christ! What did I learn from that? How has God changed me since then?
Life is an adventure! Much more so when you know the God who created you! Plug into Him and watch Him not only change who you are, but watch Him change how you look at who you were!!!
Wild at Heart
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GREAT book! I remember when I was a new Christian. Barely a year in the faith. My Church, Trinity Church in Lubbock, had a men’s groups study on, “Wild at Heart.” I already had a home group so I didn’t sign up although I was interested. Especially since it was being taught by an Air Force recruiter I admired.
So, years later, I FINALLY read it. I read it on Saturday. Now I’m wondering, what took me so long??
There is so much to the book. I’ll probably reread it sometime. The main messages I got out of the book? For me, it boils down to a couple of principles that has really igniting something in me. The biggest and most impactful? It’s OK for me to be who I am! God gave me a lot of wonderful gifts. I don’t need to be afraid of them. I shouldn’t suppress them. That’s like hiding your light under a bushel. No. God has reasons why He made me the way He did. I need to come out from behind my personality and quit beating myself up for being an under achiever. And, to challenge myself to not be so lazy.
Growing up, school was very easy for me. I’d show up, stay awake in class (for the most part), blow off the homework and ace the tests. I developed a nasty habit of being lazy. Hey. If I can excel without trying, then why push myself?
It truly is a blessing and a curse. How cool that I can just show up and learn! Of course the flip side is, sometimes challenges come along in life that do require extra effort. I’d rather watch TV :-)
When I was in elementary school I found out that not everyone thought the really smart people were cool. I also discovered I could make people laugh. So. Why not suppress the one and develop the other? Classic under achiever syndrome.
I think God is challenging me. Not to be the smartest around, but to not be afraid to be who I am. To be thankful for the gifts He has given me and to use them for His glory! That means studying His word more. Spending time in His presence. As I learn about Him and get to know Him, I can share with others. I desire to teach and preach. If it’s His will I need to pursue it! The big question I have now is, what is the best path to take to do that?
Another area is assertiveness. I need to assert myself more and have more confidence! Or at least realize that I have more to contribute then I have at times. Once upon a time in high school I was brimming with confidence. I was class president. I was all league in track. Good at football. School was easy and I was popular. It seemed everything I did turned to gold! Slowly as my drug and alcohol use increased I started to falter. By the time I was a junior I quit football, was kicked off of the track team and dropped out of school the following year. I languished for a few years before I moved to New Mexico to start my broadcasting career. I have done pretty well despite not having a college degree thanx to the gifts God has given me, but I never quite regained the confidence I had before I started messing up.
I need to realize. God’s gifts and talents are without repentance! I didn’t mess up His best plan for my life, rather He has made me a new creation in Him! I can forget the former self and truly live! That means forgetting those things that are behind and pressing forward to the high calling of God. With His help I intend to do just that.
The other area is relationships. Women. But that is none of your business :-) God is teaching me some things. Someday, Lord willing, I am going to be a great husband to a blessed beautiful woman!
The Heat that is Hot
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I didn’t check the record for the date, but it’s one of the hottest days since I moved here 2 1/2 years ago. It’s 1:27 in the afternoon and the thermometer says 113.6. Ouch!
Update: 114.7 at 2:05 p.m.
Updated Update: 113.6 at 2:45 after topping out at 115.2. Maybe we’ll go back up some, but there are a few clouds :-)
Update to the Updates: It’s down to 110.5 at 4:25. Not sure what it got up to officially or if it was a record. I’ll check. definitely the hottest day since I moved her!
Final? Update: Just checked and it’s only hit 110 today at Tucson International. It is cooler there sometimes for some reason. Today’s record is 112, so it may be safe officially.
The Final Update: National Weather Service says the high was 111 hit at 3:50 in the afternoon. The record of 112 is safe.
I was thinking I should have gone outside when my thermometer read 115. The hottest I’ve been out was 114 on the all-time record hot day in Roswell. 115 would have been a personal best :-)
Favorite Christmas’ – Skiing
I’m not positive of the year. Most likely 1992. I lived in Roswell, New Mexico and the kids lived across town. Christmas morning was clear and cold! I was up early and loaded the car with presents for the kids and drove to their house. I stayed maybe an hour or two and got to watch them play with their new toys, etc. I then left so they could get on with their visiting other family, and I made the short drive to Ski Apache.
I was a Weatherman on KBIM TV at the time and Ski New Mexico provided all the weather folks in the state with free skiing! I had been a few times and was getting decent. It was way fun! That’s for sure. So, by 10am I was on the slopes and pretty much skied all day! I was by myself, so I didn’t really talk to too many people. I just enjoyed the skiing and the snow. Did I mention I LOVE SNOW?! The slopes close at 4:00. I skied pretty much until then, turned in my rentals, and drove home. Stopping at the Sonic in Ruidoso first, of course. I was tuckered out, but Christmas wasn’t done yet.
I got home a little after dark. I was invited to the Simmons’ for Christmas Dinner! I lived just a few blocks from them, so I changed and walked to their house using the Spring River Trail and then up the hill on Pennsylvania. The meal was delicious, as always, and I got to spend more time with the kids and also my ex-in laws.
For variety, fun, and family, it’s hard to beat this Christmas memory!
Favorite Christmas’ – Miracle Snow!
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Driving Back from Texas, Thanksgiving Weekend, 2007
November 25, 2007 Snow!
Usually when I’m driving 600+ miles, I don’t stop for anything except gas and maybe a pit stop. This day was different! 4+ inches of snow in Plains was awfully perty. Click on a pic for an 800 x 600 version.
Closed for the Holiday
Approaching and leaving Plains, the road was pretty much covered with snow. It was nice of everyone else to make the path in the snow!
Roswell, NM Seat of Justice
Chaves County has an exceptional courthouse. It looks even better in the snow. According to the National Weather Service 7-10″ fell Saturday Night/Sunday AM.
White Thanksgiving! Sorta
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It WAS a white Thanksgiving in Lubbock. When I arrived at Mom’s Thanksgiving Evening, they had about an inch on the ground, maybe a bit less. During the drive, I ran into 2 to 3″ around Plains to Brownfield, but as I traveled north there was less snow. Friday was cold, but no snow. Friday night/Saturday AM about an inch or less fell again on Lubbock. Enough for me to go out and take a few pictures. The forecast for Saturday afternoon was for 2-4″ in Lubbock, but it never happened and the forecast was revised. However, a very nice snowfall occurred south and west of Lubbock. On my drive back to Tucson Sunday morning I ran into 4+” in Plains and 6+” in Roswell! I actually stopped (I NEVER stop when I’m on a long drive!) and took a few pictures :-) Sure, I would have enjoyed more snow, but I am thankful that I was able to travel safely and still enjoy snow on the ground. It is a rare thing to have snow in West Texas for Thanksgiving. I’m glad I got a taste! The best part of the trip was spending time with Mom. Great food and great fun!!!
I Love October
It’s such a great month of transition from Summer to Fall. Growing up in Oregon, I remember falling leaves, wind, and the smell of farmers burning leaves and pruned branches. One year we had over a week of oscillating fog! At night it would cool off and as the temperature dropped toward the dewpoint, the fog would close in until you couldn’t see but a few yards in front of you. In the morning the fog was the thickest. As the temperature slowly rose during the day, the fog would retreat, but not leave. This oscillation in visibility continued for at least a week! It was awesomely cool!
When I moved to Roswell, and then Lubbock, October became much more a month of extremes. In Roswell, there is one day that the record high and record low happened in the same year! Cold fronts can be quite strong in the plains, sometimes with violent results. One year on October 31st, I took my kids and girlfriend to Texas Tech hosting Missouri (I think it was Missouri). As we were walking to the stadium from the parking lot a severe storm moved in! I remember being pelted with pea sized hail (how come hail doesn’t have it’s own size?!) as we approached Jones Stadium. We finally had to seek shelter as the lightning was getting pretty intense! We were soaked and the game was delayed until the lightning stopped. I was eventually “forced” to leave early (4th quarter) as the temperatures continued to fall through the game behind the cold front. Tech ALMOST came from behind to win that day and I would have missed it :-)
Tucson, I have to admit, has been quite a bit more boring. One good thing this year is I haven’t had to use the AC or the heat the entire month! I live on the third floor on the north side, so although we have had a few days in the mid 90′s, the apartment has stayed under say 85. At night I open the sliding glass door and wake up to a wonderful 50 something! Refreshingly cool and my electric bill should have some nice savings this time around :-)
