My girls flipped over the movie (I can’t even tell you how many times they saw it collectively) and then madly read all the books. When the DVD was released yesterday, we had to re-arrange furniture, black out windows and generally cease from all other activity to watch Twilight. Dave punched his hair up with product and put some of my foundation on (I am apparently paler) and some plum eye shadow under his eyes and mugged for the camera to make the girls laugh. And we watched it with the girls (including Elise-the-Niece and Stef-with-an-f).
It is about vampires. It is not a romance. It is a love story (there is a difference). It is also for much younger women than me, but I did enjoy the the line from Edward: Your scent is like a drug to me – like my own personal brand of heroin. I mean, who wouldn’t want to evoke that kind of passion? Elise happened to be wearing a t-shirt with the same quote.
We kiddingly declared it another in a series of Dave’s birthday celebrations. So, I finally saw it. I was Twilighted.
NOTE: Dave turns 50 tomorrow!May I just say thanks to the Kansas farm girl who gave birth and let him go? Thank-you for your courage and for doing the right thing.
(1) I love you. (2) I respect you. (3) I was lost before I found you. (4) I loved the thought of you before we met. (5) I am happiest when I am with you. (6) Your touch heals me. (7) Your look thrills me. (8) Having you choose me changed my life. (9) Every day before you was lonely. (10) Every day before you, you were the one I was looking for. (11) You were the whole package for me. (12) You ARE the whole package for me. (13) I am a better person because you saw something in me and shined a light on it. (14) I am a better person because you believed in me. (15) You know me better than I know myself. (16) You showed me what could be, in spite of what was. (17) I would go anywhere with you – including Japan for 5 weeks! (18) I would live anywhere with you – even an RV!I think. (19) I can hear your voice in a crowd. (20) When I can find your face in a sea of strangers, my head stays above water. (21) I thank God for you. (22) I thank God because you are my proof that He was thinking ahead to me. (23) No matter how many days we have together on this earth-it will never be enough for me. (24) I will want more. (25) I treasure all the times you have made me laugh.
(26) I treasure the songs you have sung to me. (27) Your hands-I love the touch of your hands. (28) You’re as cool as the other side of the pillow. (29) You’re as warm as the sunshine at the beach. (30) You’re as strong as the waves of the ocean. (31) You’re as beautiful as the sunrise on my garden. (32) You light up my life. (33) You’re the inspiration. (34) I will always love you. (35) I won’t last a day without you. (36) I’m keeping you forever and foralways… We will be together all of our days…Wanna wake every morning to your sweet face…Always. (37) I need you to know that I know you are a good man. (38) I know you are an honest man. (39) I know how deeply you care about people. (40) I know all you have sacrificed over the years to provide for our family. (41) I have seen the sacrifices for other people, too. (42) I can vouch for your total integrity in every area of your life. (43) I know you have always, when you could, chosen peace. (44) You have brought peace into my life. (45) I haven’t always made that easy. (46) But you kept doing it anyway. (47) I am so honored to be married to you. (48) I am so honored that you wanted me to be the mother of your children. (49) You are the best friend I have ever had. (50) In spite of the hard knocks, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world… (51)And I want you to know how valuable you are to me, my love, my birthday boy. You are. And if I had it all to do again? I would. I do.
I have to quit because you are only turning 50 – and I could keep going! Love you, babe…Jeanie
David Allen Rhoades will turn 50 on Monday. Wish him well here if you want. Or at dave@daverhoades.com
pictured: Dave with his 5 grandkids (one for each decade!) at his family birthday party a few days ago; Gavin and Hunter, Gemma, Guini and Averi
We thought every song was about us and our love for the first, oh, 26 or 27 years (we’ll celebrate 28 years of marriage this summer)…Below are a few of the early ones that ignite some memories.
Endless Love Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie 1981. This was a huge hit the summer of our getting together and my sister, Tami, wanted us to sing it to each other at our wedding. We didn’t, but there is some early-marriage video of us lip-syncing to it very late one night.
Eddie Rabbit Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places (meaning before we got together :) )
“Some people are made for each other. Some people can love one another for life, how ’bout us?”How ‘Bout Us? by Champagne 1981
Cliff and Olivia Suddenly…the wheels are in motion, and I am ready to sail any ocean…
Reminds me of youth group trips: Careless Whisper by George Michael 1984
Up Where We Belong 1984 “The road is long, and there are mountains in our way…” Jennifer Warren and Joe Cocker from the great movie, An Officer and a Gentleman. Dave and I actually sang a “Christian” rendition of it which was quite well-liked. Hokey, yes, but Bebe and Cece did it first.
1984 Tina Turner What’s Love Got to Do with it? Got to do with it?!
Whitney Houston 1985 “No other man’s gonna do ~ so I’m saving all my love for you…” Saving All My Lovewhew!
1984 I Just Called to Say I love You, Stevie Wonder, naturally
We lived near the fairgrounds and our first night at home as newly marrieds, we listened to Air Supply singing at the fair, but through our windows So Lost in Love 1981
Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley
Dave and I have sang this song at many many weddings, Always by Atlantic Starr “Boy, I love you so, can’t find enough ways to let you know. But you can be sure I’m yours for always…We both know that our love will grow…”
Patti Labelle and James Ingram “Baby, come to me. Let me put my arms around you this was meant to be…” Baby, Come to Me
Little Jeanie Elton
“Once in your life you find her..” Arthur’s Theme: The Best that You can Do, Christopher Cross
I Love a Rainy Night Another Eddie Rabbit from 1981
“My friends wonder why I call you all the time, what can I say?…Because your kiss is on my list of the best things in life…” Kiss on My List Darryl Hall and John Oates
My baby takes the Morning Train, 9-5 Sheena Easton
Olivia Newton-John 1981 Physical I wanna get physical, physical…let me hear your body talk…
Rapture 1981 by Blondie, the first “rap” song I had ever heard. And she was blond and white.
“Please remember my life is in your hands” Woman by John Lennon
The Boy from New York City
1981 Slow Hand The Pointer Sisters
Ronnie Milsap Smoky Mountain Rain “keeps on fallin’…”
IOULee Greenwood, the song of our first anniversary in 1982. We danced to it.
Survivor Eye of the Tiger We actually used to work out to this song.
Another Ronnie Milsap: I Wouldn’t Have Missed It
Michael Jackson just hitting his stride Billie Jean 1983 Didyou see the Motown 25th Anniversary Special? It was historic!
Islands in the Stream Dolly & Kenny channeling the sounds of the Bee Gees
Sweet Dreams are Made of This Eurythmics
Making Love ot of Nothing at All Air Supply
The Girl is Mine “the doggone girl is mine…” Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
Laying out in the backyard getting a good tan just after Tre was born in 1983 listening to Taco Puttin on the Ritz
“Just you and I sharing our love together. And I know in time we’ll build the dreams we treasure. We’ll be alright…” Just You and I Crystal Gayle and Eddie Rabbit
Take a Look at Me Now(Against All Odds) Phil Collins 1984
Kenny Loggins Footloose
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Wham
“I’m addicted to you, baby. You’re a hard habit to break.” Hard Habit to Break
Everytime You Go Away“you take a piece of my with you…”
You’re the Inspirationyou still are, honey!
Amy Grant and Peter Cetera (he had just left Chicago and she was stepping out ino secular music The Next Time I Fall in Love I’ll know better what to do…
Sorry, but yes, Barry Manilow Wouldn’t it be nice being Lonely Together(we listened to this on our first date! haha!)
It’s Sad to Belong to Some One Else when the right one comes along
Dave sang to me at our wedding, a Carpenter’s hit I Won’t Last a Day without You
That’s the Way, a contemporary Christian wedding song was another one he sang to me in our ceremony
So romantic Wonderful Tonight.
But old songs are ours, too God Only KnowsThe Beach Boys
I’ll be Seeing You, we love the old love songs of the WWII era
Once on a walk in Dallas (around our 2nd anniversary, I sang the entire Gladys Knight rendition of Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me to Dave, because he is.
I had to delete a bunch of “our songs”. Too many. But last night on American Idol, I heard yet another song about Dave and me by Brad Paisley, Then. It is a song of memory, looking back to the first kiss and having babies days. It recalls all the love of those days, but then goes on:
Now you’re my whole life
Now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than its ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then
I can just see you
When you’re hair is turning gray
What I can’t see
is how I’m gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before
Now you’re my whole life
Now you’re my whole world
We’ll look back someday at this moment that we’re in
And I’ll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then…
Keep singing to me, babe and I’ll keep singing to you!…Jeanie
I have a secret penchant for country music videos and really must avoid them, lest the suck me in to countless fruitless hours. A few years ago with a freshly broken foot and total loss of mobility, I indulged and saw this group singing about the most beautiful sight in the world being “from my front porch looking in” and it made me cry. At the time, Gavin was “a little carrot-top who can barely walk,” and it just struck my heart.
I just watched it again because it goes with my current “home” theme. It is by Lonestar and it remains one of my all-time favorite country music videos. They didn’t provide the code for imbedding the video, but link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-HtiZcHUmE&feature=related, watch, enjoy.
And I hope the people and things you love the most can be seen from your front porch looking in!
AI=Artificial Insemination (Wrex is trying to make me come to the farm to help increase the goat or cow population or something. I am simply not ready to hear about what a “jump steer” is and the “collection” of needed materials for artificial insemination, I’m not!)
AI=American Idol – my secret indulgence, my I-can’t-help-myself obsession. My judge-other-people-like-it’s-going-out-of-style possibly sinful conundrum.
So – can you believe I missed the first night (last Tuesday)? I had even read the yahoo article (by Matt Whitfield) on it beginning again and all the changes the new show and judge would bring and I still thought it was next week! But I caught the 2nd night of the season premier and I have to say: I still love this crazy, silly show! However, this season there will be big changes.
Matt’s article cited some:
Fewer trainwrecks: In an effort to bring more credibility to the show fewer freaks…delusional dorks…and [William Hungs] will be featured during the auditions. VERDICT: Boo! Don’t the producers realize that we voyeurs want to see as many sad clowns as possible? Guess not.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: Actually, I (Jeanie) still felt I got my money’s worth on people I could judge and make fun of (not the obvious people – I have compassion on them, of course!). The show did feel more positive overall, more upbeat and dare I say it, even more encouraging!?!
Character development: With Hollywood Week finally becoming Hollywood Weeks, we’ll actually get to know the contestants and their stories, unlike in years past when the Top 12 could easily consist of strangers. VERDICT: Yay! Remember when Kelly Clarkson came out of nowhere in the final few weeks of the first season? She had virtually zero TV time until the finals. Blasphemy! Thankfully, that shouldn’t happen again.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: But I still don’t want them setting my emotions up for me. Go easy on the sob-story pitches, AI. I’ll choose those who deserve my pity.
Wild-card Round: For the first time since the show’s second season, the judges will select the final three contestants that will comprise the Top 12. VERDICT: Debatable. As much as I don’t trust the public opinion (hello, Taylor Hicks), I think the judges have enough power as is. Shouldn’t the viewers get to hand out the golden tickets? I dunno. This could be very good… or very, very bad.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: Hahhhahhahahhahha! For real – how did Taylor Hicks win?!
Top 12: With the semi-final round being comprised of 36 contestants — as opposed to the usual 24 — and with the judges determining the wild-cards, the makeup of the Top 12 won’t necessarily be split evenly among males and females. VERDICT: Finally! If more women (for example) deserve to make the finals, let them in! I think everyone is tired of the 6/6 split. The best singers should be in the finals. Not cute talentless hunks (Ace Young), not grandma-selected safe bets (Kevin Covais), and definitely not Sanjaya.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: I soooooo agree. I also had to laugh when Matt called David Archulette a Monchichi lookalike! And yes – NOT Sanjaya!
New Judge: The new kid on the block is songwriter-producer Kara DioGuardi, the mastermind behind Xtina’s “Ain’t No Other Man,” Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl,” and Pink’s latest hit, “Sober.” Will she rely on her professional experience like Randy? Will she battle with Simon? Will she ultimately replace Paula? (All parties deny this rumor). Will she tell it like it is and risk hurting the contestants’ feelings? VERDICT: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Well, at least we hope so.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: I really like the new judge! I think she managed to improve Paula’s performance. Paula was almost lucid the other night. Still stupid, but almost normal. So, good move, AI. Kara seems like a smart addition, intelligent judge. I love how she sang that bikini-clad-clown under the table (saw the clip online).
The Matt Whitfield article also noted some rumored changes~
Fewer Themes: Rumor has it that viewers will no longer have to witness pop tarts trash country classics, crooners butcher Broadway tunes, and divas destroy Big Band standards. VERDICT: Phew! We can handle Billboard’s biggest hits, “songs from the year you were born” night and maybe a “movie soundtrack” theme, but an evening with Burt Bacharach must be banished!
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: The AI median fan age was just announced to be 40. But Burt Bacharach may be a stretch even for them. I like him, though. He wrote the soundtrack of my 1960s life. What the world needs now is love, sweet love…
Younger Mentors: In a perfect world, Season 8’s finalists won’t have to pretend to know who Neil Diamond is, let alone sing songs from his infinite oeuvre. Same goes for Andrew Lloyd Webber and anyone else with liver spots. VERDICT: This can’t happen soon enough. Did the producers ever think to invite anyone other than an octogenarian to mentor the finalists? It’s time. It’s time to tell Kelly Clarkson that in order to help her with her comeback, she needs to remember where she came from and make a triumphant return to the “Idol” stage. It’s time to enlist Rihanna and Chris Brown — no matter the cost. It’s time!
MY THOUGHTS: Dang, though. I was still hoping for a David Cassidy night. Guess not.
Yes, I will be watching American Idol for the next 5 months or so…Jeanie
Thanks to Amy Grant for my favorite new Christmas song this year. I DO need one! How about you?
I’ve made the same mistake before
Too many malls, too many stores
December traffic, Christmas rush
It breaks me till I push and shove
Children are crying while mothers are trying
To photograph Santa and sleigh
The shopping and buying and standing forever in line
What can I say?
I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
December comes then disappears
Faster and faster every year
Did my own mother keep this pace
Or was the world a different place?
Where people stayed home wishing for snow
Watching three channels on their TV
Look at us now rushing around
Trying to buy Christmas peace
I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
What was it like back there in Bethlehem
With peace on earth, good will toward men?
Every shepherd’s out in the field
Keeping watch over their clock by night
And the glory of the Lord shone around them
And they were so afraid
And the angels said fear not for behold
I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all people
For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace
I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
To end this crazy day with a silent night
The first time I ever remember crying over simple words strung together in a book was as I was reading a selection aloud to Dave from Max Lucado’s God Came Down back in the 80’s. I think I was reading the chapter written as Mary, the mother of Jesus, sort of pondering and praying in her heart about her newborn son, and, being a young mother myself, was impacted deeply.
Parts of “Mary’s Prayer” by Max Lucado
GOD. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with
our disgrace. Sleep well…
Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
to touch a leper’s open wound,
to wipe a widow’s weary tear,
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.
Your hands, so tiny, so white-clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross…
O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince . . . sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.
Lie still, tiny mouth. Lie still, mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our foolishness.
Rosebud lips-upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you-lie still…
That Max has a way with words (www.maxlucado.com) and you can access a special, downloadable selection of Christmas writings put together as “It Began in a Manger” right here. It is a 15-page gathering of writings he has done in various books with 6 short, but thought-provoking and inspirational “chapters” including “The Arrival, ” the above-mentioned “Mary’s Prayer” and “Gabriel’s Questions.”
I love to read this every year as I “prepare Him room”…again. Check it out! Enjoy “my” (Max’s) FREE giftto you on this first day of December!
He came as a baby to save me, even me! I’ll be contemplating that and celebrating my deliverance from the law of sin and death for the next 24+ days!…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: God loves to see us celebrate and rejoice. Spread the word! JOY! To the whole world! Repeat as needed!
