what i'm reading at the moment...

THE MAN COMES AROUND: THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF JOHNNY CASH by DAVE URBANSKI

still have yet to finish this one, but it's not for lack of interest, because i have learned so much from reading this book. like countless others, i am intrigued and influenced in a big way by the life of johnny cash. it's been really interesting to delve into the personal, spiritual composition of such a complex man. this guy lived it all, went to hell and back, and had a rock-solid faith because of it. i highly recommend this book for all johnny cash fans and anyone interested in learning more about a raw, tested relationship with jesus christ.



CHANGES THAT HEAL by DR. HENRY CLOUD

this is the book that i'm reading for a bible study that i'm currently taking @ cbc. i know it might sound hyperbolic and a little like i'm trying to sell you ocean-front property in arizona, but you MUST read this book - it really does have the power to change your life. besides creating a general awareness of all the self-inflicted roadblocks we put up to stall leading a healthy, holistic life; this book offers practical, logical, relevant steps for breaking through those chains that bind. read this book and you will gain so much personal insight and learn why the relationships in your life function the way they do. i'd buy you all a copy of it if i could, that's how much i believe in it!



THE RELATIONSHIP PRINCIPLES OF JESUS by TOM HOLLADAY

this book was recommended to me by my friend dean and i went out and bought it the night that he told me about it; his conviction and case for having me read it was so strong that i had no choice. essentially, this book is the manifestation of rick warren's "purpose driven life." whereas that book was all about building a strong sense of the individual self, "relationship principles of jesus" continues on with the outpouring productivity and fruits of the foundation built upon in "purpose driven life." this one's challenging me because you're only supposed to read a small section daily and commit to consciously building upon what you have learned, but i really am truly getting a lot out of it. if you feel inclined to join me on the "40 days of love" challenge, join right in! i'm only on day 6!

evea lauren

my besties: installment II

evea lauren haass has only been in my life for a mere four months, but yes we are a cliche; i feel as though i have known her my whole entire life. if you've ever met someone who you felt so completely comfortable with from the moment you met them, than you know what kind of awe-struck relationship i'm talking about here. i do believe that God brings fundamental people into your life with intention and purpose and lauren is one of those people in my life. i'm so lucky to have her!



how did you and lauren meet? at a mayoral candidate debate for the city of san antonio! (yes, we're political nerds.) she was supporting the eventual winner, and i was there to support the opposition. in a crowded auditorium, i looked across the aisle at a sweet-looking, beautiful blondie and asked if i could have a seat. we started talking, realized we had 987,904 things in common and eventually figured out we lived one street apart. annnnd the rest is history!

three words to describe lauren: tough-as-nails. driven. wise.

song(s) that remind me of lauren: anything gary p. nunn, but especially "friends for life" and "roadtrip." "somebody's trying to steal my heart" - kyle park. "good hearted woman in love with a good hearted man" - we changed the words.

the most surprising thing about lauren: let's just state the obvious, my friend is drop-dead gorgeous. she's modeled all over the world and been featured in countless campaigns. she's the kind of girl you would take one look at and dismiss as shallow and vapid based on distorted preconceived ideas, but i'm here to tell you that as beautiful as lauren is on the outside, she is even more radiant on the inside if you can believe that!!! lauren is one of the most compassionate, giving people i've ever met in my life. and dang, that girl is sharp as a tack! she is so accomplished professionally and i have no doubt she could take over the financial world with her mad real estate investment skills. i'm not even going to go into the fact that she's more industrious and handy than most guys you'll meet today...but let's just say she drives a big bad truck, shoots skeet and clay, and can shoot off on a horse with the best of 'em. (lilo, don't kill me for posting this pic of you in your modeling days...)



best thing lauren ever did for me: lauren knows how to really authentically love people and i have benefited greatly from that. she has challenged me to be the very best version of myself and her friendship has helped me grow personally in every way imaginable. having an honest, reciprocal, spiritual relationship with another individual has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

as for how i'm ever going to pay her back? i kinda, sorta was involved in helping her meet a handsome man who happens to be the love of her life and now she's deliriously, blissfully, uncontrollably happy. :):):)

new record out tomorrow!

since it's been FIVE years now that charlie robison hasn't put anything out, this is clearly a big deal! the new album, entitled beautiful day, is classic charlie, but there is a new twist to be sure.

from the tracks i've listened to thus far there's a huge tom petty influence, as well as some bruce springsteen, evidenced by charlie's cover of "racing in the street." it's true that this album has D-I-V-O-R-C-E written all over it and there are a few songs that will absolutely crush you. it seems art imitates life and since charlie divorced this pretty lady last year, this stuff shoots straight to the heart. if you liked willie nelson's "phases and stages," then this one's for you.

i gotta say, i'm glad charlie's back. i was starting to miss that scraggly 'ol swaggering fool and his denim shirts.

country? i don't think so.

precisely the reason i have such a love/hate relationship with nashville:



what a cheesefest. texas country is so much better!!!!!!!

amanda kay

this blog is my blog. it's about my life. so i figured i can put whatever i want on here. besides, i think only 4 people read this thing anyway. something i've neglected for way too long is to tell my loyal readership about my best friends, the people in my life who are my rock-solid anchors of support and endless encouragement. i haven't done everything right in my life, but something i'm tremendously proud of is the fact that i got really lucky and i was able to find extraordinary, amazing people as my best friends. if you don't have people in your life like these people, i feel sorry for you...you need 'em. and they need you.

i think i'll start a series and tell you about each person individually...they're all way too fascinating to lump them into one generic post. so here it goes, the inaugural post of "my besties: part I."

tracing my friendship history back through time leads me to one person who i could not dare embark on a project such as this without honoring first. amanda kay fowler and i have been friends for 16 years! 16 years! seeing that we're only 23, that's an awful long time to know someone. amanda's friendship is like my favorite pair of old boots...they're getting old and worn out, they've seen it all, there's been good times and bad; but they fit so perfectly. and every passing year, they get even more comfortable, as if that were possible. amanda, you know i love ya, and you know you have to be with me forever and always...because frankly, my dear...you know too dang much.



how did you and amanda meet? first day of school. 2nd grade. PE class. i was the new girl and didn't have any friends, amanda took me in.

three words that describe amanda: selfless. heart-of-gold. loyal.

quirkiest attribute: hmmm...amanda is always planning for everything!!!! you should have seen her back into 1999 before Y2K, she was fully stocked and ready to live off her canned food. she's also insanely good at horse betting and she's a member of the UFO beerknurd club at the flying saucer where she's actively trying to enter the ring of honor.

song(s) that come to mind when you think of amanda: "small town" - john mellencamp. any 1990's country...especially "wild one" - faith hill, "x's and o's" - trisha yearwood, and all deana carter.

craziest thing that ever happened with amanda: oh dear, where to start. the list could go on forever and a day, but mandie, don't you think our most popular story is the gang shootout the night midnight rodeo shut down? that always gets the most roaring laughter. amanda and i were forbidden to go to midnight rodeo "teen night" by our fathers, but when i turned 16 we decided to be big rebels and go anyway...we had been hatching this plan for three years, keep in mind. well wouldn't you know the night that we go, there's a huge brawl and we nearly end up getting killed and on the news?

in high school, amanda was...an angel. she still is, but goodness, in high school amanda and i were little saints. we were so innocent and naive largely due to our overprotective parents. but the thing was, we were in it together so it really didn't matter that much...we always had each other. in high school, everybody loved amanda...i'm serious. she was the token "girl-next-door" and sweet as can be...i think all the boys had crushes on her because she was much like shs's own version of kelly kapowski. i don't ever think people say one negative thing about her, because really, there isn't anything bad you could say about this girl.

in ten years, amanda will be...married to josh and traveling the world going on more of their crazy, spontaneous adventures. they'll still be brewing their own beer together and going over to europe at a moment's notice. i hope she has kids by then too, so i can be an auntie and spoil them rotten.

why amanda's great: what a sweetheart. this girl is the definition of someone who has a huge heart. she never thinks about herself, and she would go out of her way to make the people she loves happy. when i stand back and watch what all she does for other people - her family, josh, her friends, and the kids she works with - i'm blown away.

best thing amanda ever did for me: besides buying me tickets to my first george strait concert and then carrying me out because i was running a 103 degree fever and sick as a dog...you just always know you can count on amanda. she's there...i never ever have to worry about her bailing on me or being inconsistent. no relationship is perfect, but i think this one comes pretty close.



p.s. amanda, you look adorable with short hair, but don't ever allow me to chop mine off after a breakup again!! i mean it!

thank you george jones!

so i know that no one else would ever get excited about this, but i'm a big huge dork and a maniacal country music fan until the day i die.

if you know me, you know that i'm constantly reading all the time, but here lately, i haven't been able to do any reading for pleasure purposes whatsoever. over the last month, i've been consumed with pouring over legal documents, crime stats, impact studies, and research journals - all very scholarly and intellectual of course, but i was due for some mind-numbing, salacious entertainment.

enter one of my new $1.50 amazon purchases -> nashville wives: country music's celebrity wives reveal the truth about their husbands and marriages. almost as profound as voltaire & neitzsche right???



ha, afraid not. the writing's pretty horrible and it's slightly depressing to read about garth & sandy brooks' picture-perfect nashville marriage. the book was published in 1998, before trisha busted up that union.

HOWEVER...

when i opened the book up to the front cover, look what i found:



that's right. i have an autographed copy signed by "the possum"! yeah! (had to include a photo of george & tammy back in their heyday...)

no words.

MERLE HAGGARD CONCERT LAST NIGHT @ GRUENE HALL WAS PHENOMENAL. that man is too talented for me to adequately express.

*also, if you care to further your texas country knowledge, check out this AWESOME post by my friend brittany!

life without music would be a mistake, don't you think?