I Have Been Remiss...

I Have!

Gosh, so much going on and I have just been being so ding-dang lazy. Of course I work full time and go to school too... (plus the leaf raking, but that only takes up a couple of hours a day... and besides that's another blog.)

I just want to start out here by saying what a wonderful couple of weeks this has been. But of course since I'm obviously lazy I haven't kept up to the extent any reeally serious, card carrying Clay fan would have kept up.

But I did manage to catch the final number for the first week CD sales which was $211,234 and landed him at #2 on the charts. Wow! And I only purchased 3 this time as opposed to the 10 I bought of MOAM. I look forward to the day when we'll all only have to buy 1... and all those other people we've been buying them for will be there in line... in front of us.

Anyway, the celebration began for me at the West Michigan CD Release Party at the T.G.I.F. in Kalamazoo, Michigan and I was deeply touched by the outpouring of Clay love that exists here in my neck of the woods and by spending an absolutely amazing evening with women whom I'd never even met before. Seriously, I thought it was just me... all alone. And then later at Walmart I just kept looking at all these women standing in the checkout line at 12:30 a.m. and smiled so exuberantly to myself.

But like I said, I've been lazy and just EVER SO CONTENT to look and listen... and this blogging stuff takes work! However, I would never forgive myself for passing up the opportunity to preserve some of the past weeks memories on my blog. So that said...

David Foster's Star Search (9/9)

Leno (9/15)

GMA (9/19)

Diane Sawyer Interview (9/20)

People Magazine

Virgin Book Signing (9/26)

Kimmel (9/26)

Larry King Live (9/28)

And now...if you're interested in actually READING about this amazing week plus enjoying some really beeeautiful pictures as well, please visit Carolina Clay's blog (and check out her other recent posts too)...'coss there's no laziness there to be found. Nope. None at all.

Sixty-One Days Until Christmas... and counting.

But this could all change of course... since just yesterday it was sixty-two... or wait... it would have been sixty-three yesterday, just before he completely shredded any hope I might have had about ever being able to witness a first concert when he announced Waukegan, right?.. Even though, and I swear to you, I would climb every mountain... forge every stream... follow every rainbow. No seriously, I swear I would!!! For him? Anything! Really.

'Cept just not if I have to drive through Chicago to do it.

Anyway... as of now it's still definitely sixty-one... even though it's really still sixty-two for me... pending further updates. And honestly?... I don't think Peoria on November 30th is completely out of the question. However, for ldyjocelyn's sake I'm hoping he'll book it on the 29th...

This blog has been brought to you by NACT Inc.

OK... I just got really, really side-tracked there for a moment. Now back to working on the blog I was working on before all my fantasies of a perfect world became completely unhinged...

Hanging this thing must have taken almost as much effort as childbirth... sigh.

Is it weird that I find this to be a tad unnerving? I mean just knowing that this billboard is sitting out there alongside the the highway now...each and every night... all night long? And I can't even let myself imagine all the discarded beer bottles that must be gathering underneath it...

I mean, seriously... wasn't it only a year or so ago that she had a midnight curfew?..

And I hope there's a really burly computer geek on the other end of that phone number...

Of course, if I were to mention my concerns to her about this she'd just think I was being a sooper silly mom... cause that's the way she is... and which would probably be perfectly normal.

P.S. Daryn... you know I'm kidding right?.. sort of? In reality... how very, very, VERY cool!

But pleease wear a Burberry hat from now on when you go out in public, okay hon?

What's there to say... when it's already been said?..

It's been awhile... and yes, this blog title has 1000 different meanings.

I've been trying to blog, I honestly have. But I was waiting for that "perfect picture"... and then there were suddenly 1000 perfect pictures. So it was really hard to choose just one.



Thanks to my good friend Karen Eh? for that one. I'm so glad that she has such a trustworthy camera and is mapquest savvy to boot.

Meanwhile, all I seem to be able to do is look at him and listen. And isn't that enough? So much angst out there yet I am amazed at how over the years the angst has turned into so much wisdom. I love reading the thoughtful posts. Wish I was better at them. But I think I've determined over the years that my favorite sport is just... listening.

I love him beyond reason... which still confuses the heck out of me. Life would be so much easier and much less expensive if I could only learn to kick this habit... but I can't. So I've learned to just accept it... and enjoy.

Not Sure What To Call This Blog Post... hmmm

Right now I'm thinking that undoing twisty ties could probably be considered an excellent occupational therapy excercise... as well as sammich making.

Real American Hero... Man of Hottness...

Mr. Piano bench warmin', ring wearin', undershirt burnin'... and most humble Presidentially appointed guy... We salute you!

This bod's for you...

(Let's just let him bask in it for a while and then we'll figure out what to do with him later...)

Ode To Willow...

I had a willow once. Like yesterday. It's funny how they say... "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"... and "You never know what you've got till it's gone." Cause it's true.

For nearly 14 years Willow sheltered and shaded my home. Now don't get me wrong!... we certainly had our fair share of bickering... particularly during the annual bonding days of early spring and late fall. But for the most part, she was a good ole gal... and there were more hours spent beneath the shade of her branches than I could possibly begin to articulate. Some of the most peaceful moments I've ever spent in my life... I might add.

But then... in March of 2003, smack dab in the middle of AI2... (for content purposes) a terrible ice storm hit our neck of the woods and she lost a whole piece of her upper section.

And it wasn't pretty!

And although she seemed to come back pretty well in the Spring, she still, to a critical eye, looked a little "Weepier" than usual.

That was three and a half years ago... and looking back, I don't think she ever fully recovered. I think it was some time in July of this year that I realized she was a gonner. Every day she became a little bit worse. It must have been that long drought.

Anyway... it was was one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make.

Weep With Me Here For A Moment... The weeping willow tree is not only unique in appearance, but in it's meaning as well. The weeping willow is probably the most symbolic of all the trees in the world. It is usually looked upon with a vision of sadness and grief, although sitting under the willow can be seen as protection and comfort. The weeping willow is seen as peaceful and serene by most. Some even say that if you listen closely enough you can hear it whisper in the wind. It has a sense of grace and beauty about it. It is nature's own ballerina. As the wind blows through the leaves, it dances and twirls with the most delicate of motions. This tree has a sense of courage to it. It allows the whole world to see it's innermost feelings. It is also said to have a wise spirit.

I wonder if she felt any pain.

We had some good times Willow... Some really, really good times. But anyway... please rest well. And in case you didn't hear me whisper it to you the other night...

Thank you.

Wishes Do Come True... and here's a perfect example.

Early in August Clay announced that he had accepted some invitations to sing with some local symphonies in lieu of doing a JNT or CD promotional tour. And of course I immediately logged on to my local symphony's site... which happens to be the Grand Rapids one and...

NOTHING. Nothing at all.

The only possible opportunity for him to appear at DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids would be as a replacement for LeAnn Rimes, on December 19th, who had cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. I knew the odds of that would be slim... as GR loves itself some "country"... and so for Clay to step in for her just didn't seem feasible somehow. I mean really, Clay Aiken replacing LeAnn Rimes? That's like replacing kumquats with cucumbers... But still I held out hope.. day after day after day.

I probably would have lost a lot less sleep had I just paid more attention to this...



Heh...