A Song By Any Other Name, Still Sounds As Sweet

My husband has a beautiful voice. When he sings, I swoon. Really.

Me? Well, when I sing I sound like a cat in heat. But that does not stop me. Birddog loves to tell me how many times I changed pitch and key in one chorus. I am proud of myself when he says that I hit the correct note at least once in a song.

Not only am I tone-deaf, but I misunderstand song lyrics and sing the wrong words all too often. If I don’t understand what the singer says, I usually just make up my own version that sounds like what they should be saying. I do this so much that when I find out the real words to a song, I still sing the wrong words. You should hear me when I try to sing “Respect” or “Lady Marmalade”.

I live in my own little musical world and that is fine with me. This drives Birddog crazy. Here are a just a few of my misquotations:

Starship: We built this city on rock and roll.
Ladybird: We built this city on a rocky road.

Bon Jovi: It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not.
Ladybird: It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not.

Kiss: I want to rock and roll all night and party every day.
Ladybird: I want to rock and roll all night and part of every day.

Apparently this problem is genetic. I distinctly remember sitting in the passenger seat of our car when I was about twelve years old and my brother, who was eight at the time, was singing Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” at the top of his voice. My mother was trying not to laugh. Instead of singing “I don’t want to let you go ‘til we see the light”, he was singing “I don’t want to let you go to see the fight.” When my mother ask him what he thought the song meant, he explained something about the guy not wanting to take the girl to a boxing match. My mother and I just smiled at each other while Clay wailed in the back seat.

I often misunderstand lyrics too. When I was younger I never understood the Parson Brown part of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”. I thought that parson was a color, like chocolate or mocha. I didn’t realize that a parson was a leader at a church. I didn’t understand why anyone would want a brown snowman.

Okay, please tell me there are other song-butchers out there. What songs do you sing the wrong way?

True Love

Thirty-eight years ago, two crazy kids vowed to stay together through thick and thin. Little did they know, they would be the best parents ever.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Natchez Trace

Birddog and I had to make a quick trip to Franklin today. On the way home, he took me down the Natchez Trace Parkway. We had hoped to drive the entire 444 miles to Mississippi earlier in the fall, but never got the chance. The trees were still beautiful and we saw lots of wildlife along the way. We crossed the Tennessee Valley Divide and saw several scenic outlooks that took our breath away. I recommend it to anyone that is looking for a road trip. We are looking forward to the full trip with the weather gets a little warmer.

Season's Greetings

Sweet Carolina made these greeting cards for me!
TOO CUTE!

Growing Up Too Fast

Wearing a much bigger shoe size, but not quite as tall as me yet!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

All of ten of the great-granddaughers made it to Thankgsiving.

There are no little boys in this generation of Birddog's family.

(No pressure on us! LOL!)

Joyful Thanksgiving

Some of the many people I am thankful for on this day!

Laziness Becomes Him

Lately Jake has decided that standing up is overrated, especially while eating.

A Harvest of Orange

Hark! The Herald Ladybird Sings!

Everyone close to me knows that I am a Christmas music junkie. I am embarrassed to say that even though my Christmas tree is still safely packed away, my Christmas CDs have already made an appearance this year. As of right now they have only been played in my car, but co-workers and friends beware, they will be gracing your presence on November 23…..accompanied by my off-pitch, tone-deaf, angelic voice. Birddog is already cringing because I found the holiday station on digital cable.

Each year, I try to increase my Christmas album collection by at least one CD. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Once Upon a Christmas by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
I used to put on my wig (a.k.a. yellow pillow case) and sing into the mirror. I wanted to be Dolly with all of my heart. The duets are wonderful and it has one of my all time favorite Christmas songs, Hard Candy Christmas. Like any hard-core Dolly fan should know, this is the ballad at the end of the movie Greatest Little Whorehouse in Texas. A classic.

Christmas Island by Jimmy Buffett
Every Parrot Head knows that Jimmy was born on Christmas day. This album covers a few traditional holiday songs in a calypso style and there are several originals that make you want to go to the beach for Christmas. I think that my favorite song on the album is Merry Christmas Alabama (Never Far From Home).

The Music of Christmas by Steven Curtis Chapman
I have a soft spot in my heart for Steven Curtis Chapman because he is from Paducah. While covering several traditional Christmas songs, his original powerful anthems remind us that Jesus is the reason for the season. If you are looking for a Contemporary Christian Christmas album, this one will remind you of the wonders of the birth of Christ.

Boogie Woogie Christmas by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
This album is packed with up-tempo rock-a-billy versions of some of my favorite Christmas songs. Plus, there is the bonus of Ann Margaret singing on Baby It’s Cold Outside. This is an undeniably FUN Christmas CD that will put you in the Christmas spirit with just one song. It will rock your Christmas!

Merry Christmas by Mariah Carey
On any given day, I dispise Mariah Carey, but I love her Christmas album. I bought this CD for All I Want For Christmas Is You, but was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the album. She has some great ballads, but rocks out on gospel songs that will make your heart sing the joys of Christmas.

A Very Special Christmas Series Vol. 1, 2 and 3
This series was started to raise money for the Special Olympics and has turned out to be their biggest fundraiser ever…..with good reason, the music ROCKS! These CDs are packed with big names: The Pointer Sisters, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper and many, many more. Plus, Volume 1 has Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC. It just isn’t the Christmas without a song that mentions collid greens. I plan to buy A Very Special Acoustic Christmas this year and I can’t wait!

I have many more, including several classics with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown and the Stylistics to name a few. But, I will stop rambling for now.

What is your favorite Christmas CD? Do you have any recommendations for me??

Snips and Snails and Puppydog Tails

Welcome to the world Jude Christopher Cecil!

Autumn in Dickson County

I love my drive to work, especially in the autumn.

Hissy Fit

I spent the majority of my Saturday night pouting. Ava didn’t want to have anything to do with me. She didn’t want to color. She didn’t want to take a shower. She didn’t even want to play. All she wanted was to snuggle with Birddog on the couch and read books. That is usually my job. I was green with envy, until she wanted to cuddle with me to go to sleep.


I did feel some guilty pleasure on Sunday when Tobi came to pick Ava up. Ava threw a hissy fit that could rival Varuka Salt. I was secretly thrilled. I loved it that she didn’t want to leave my house.....although the crocodile tears and death grip on my neck was heartbreaking.

I miss her already.

The Tiniest Trick-Or-Treater

Fall In Our Frontyard

Moving On Up

For the past several months, I have been poked and prodded by friends to go public with my blog. In the past, this blog has been a private setting on MySpace. Because of this, only people that I approved could read my posts…..which wasn’t a bad thing in my eyes.

So, I am crossing over into the unknown world of ‘real’ blogging. I have pulled my archives over to this site, so if something doesn’t make sense, it was lost in translation…..it probably made perfect sense on MySpace.

One of the huge things that I lost in transferring my archives were the comments. I loved all the comments that were on my previous blog, but I can’t find a way to transfer them here. I urge people to leave comments on my posts. Sometimes the comments are much better than the blog post itself!

I am eager to get moving on La Vida Ladybird because of all the new options that I can do. I have never been able to link posts before. I am anxious about putting pictures in posts, which is something that I was never able to do before. I am also excited about sharing some of my favorite blog links. I hope to have a cool new header up soon. Please bear with me as I figure out how to work links and labels……..although I have been blogging for almost a year, a lot of this is still new to me.

I am really excited about going public, but I am extremely nervous at the same time. I hope that some of my MySpace readers follow me. I am exited to hear what other friends and family think about La Vida Ladybird. But like my very first post said:

“So, tucking all my fears aside, I am going to jump in with both feet. I will either flourish or crash in a burning heap, but at least I can say that I tried. And what is life, if you don't give things a chance, right?”

Hang in there with me friends……..I am just getting started!

Name Dropping

There are two times of the year that Nashvillians hate.

The first is Fanfare, or CMT Music Fest or whatever the heck it is called now. This week long festival has live concerts and meet-and-greets with country music artists. But wait! There's more! Not only do you get to meet country music artists, but soap opera stars too! There is a God in heaven! This is the main reason that I do not miss working downtown.

You can usually tell when Fanfare has invaded Nashville, because of the multitudes of country music lovers that fill the streets of downtown. They are easy to spot. They are wearing a camera around their neck, sunglasses, some sort of fan club tank top, shorts, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat…..usually with accent feathers and black scribble autographs all over it.

Unless they are on stage or signing autographs at a table, you usually don't see the singers at this time. They hide. With good reason.

But this week is the opposite. This is the other week that we hate. This is the week of the CMA awards. Country music singers and bands flood the streets of downtown. Roads are blocked off for limousines and photographers. If you want to meet a singer, this is the week to do it. They will be on Broadway, sitting at the end of a bar, critiquing the entertainment and laughing like everyone is looking at them.

I don't mean to bash celebrity; I just don't have much use for it. Celebrities are a dime-a-dozen in Nash-Vegas and I think that they lost their awe a long time ago. Don't get me wrong, I have had my fair share of run-ins with some good ones. I let Vince and Amy in front of me in a traffic jam and he waved a 'thank you' wave to me. (Big bonus points in my book!) I rode to a Titans game with Billy Dean. I have talked on the phone with Gene Simmons (even though I didn't know who he was). There were several others. Birddog is on a first name basis with several artists from his years of playing on the road. Jake and Elwood love Craig Morgan, because he called them handsome and loved their names.…..and stopped to talk to Kyle about the dogs and music for a while.

But then there are the bad ones too. When you live in Nashville, you hear all the horror stories. How a singer was rude to a friend or how they had a better-than-thou attitude. And believe me, they are completely offended when you don't know who they are. It doesn't help that the evening news covers every DUI and minor altercation. Poor Mindy McCreedy will never have a music career again due to all of her bad publicity. I have heard more stuff about Faith Hill and Lee Ann Womack than I care to mention.

So friends, I am asking…….what is your celebrity story? Good or bad……..who have you had a run-in with? Were they nice? Were they an airhead? Or a big head? Or a creep? Were they as sweet as icing? Fill me in! I am all ears!

Desire

It is the second day after the start of daylight savings time. I feel groggy and tired. My eyes are sticky and sleepy. I miss home and my mother and corn chowder. I want to curl up on the couch, lay my head on a soft pillow and hide under my quilt. I want to dream of things that are just out of reach and be sad when I awake, because it was just a dream.

Then, I want to stop being a girl. I want to quiet the voice in my head that makes me want to scream. I want to stop crying. I want to rip all of these stupid girly emotions out of my head and stomp on them. I want this weight on my chest and lump in my throat to disappear.

I want to wear a new dress and to sip a martini. I want to flirt with my husband. I want to hear him laugh, because it has been so long. I want him to whisper things in my ear that make me blush. I want to hold his hand and look in his eyes. I want to feel his hand on the small of my back.

I want to stop the world from spinning. I want everything to be quiet for a while.

I want to stop wanting.

And The Saga Continues

I haven't blogged in a while. Here are a few of the things that are keeping me busy:

I was itching to get out of the house this weekend, so Birddog and I went to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. We got a few big pumpkins and a dozen little ones, plus a couple of mums. The Fairy God-Daughter came over on Saturday night and helped us carve a jack-o-lantern. She had never done this before……..she really enjoyed drawing the face, but didn't want me to cut it. She helped me pull the guts out, but had to wipe her hands off with each scoop…….and cried when I lit the candle, because she didn't want me to light her pumpkin on fire. She was too cute!

I only had three trick-or-treaters, which was horribly disappointing. Haley was a pirate, Chandler was Superman and Ava was a duck. I packed their bags with candy, but still have a lot left over. I plan to push this off on my co-workers.

I am quitting a bad habit. I am finding this harder than what I expected. I am bitchy. I have yelled. So Birddog would tell you that everything is normal.

A new kitten appeared on our back porch. I tried to give it away at the yard sale, but Birddog was already attached. He hoarded the kitten and said that it was his……I could not give it away. The kitten's name was Forrest, until we found out that he was a she…..so now her name is Jen-naaaay. You have to say it the way that Forrest Gump said it or it just doesn't sound right. She is cute……gray with white socks and a white tuft on her chest. I have to say that I am growing fond of her too. We haven't fed her after midnight or gotten her wet…….so things are still going well.

I attended an Arbonne party only to discover that my skin is not important enough to spend $325 on improving. I will stick with my generic stuff. Thank you very much.

I had a mini-mental breakdown in a gas station. Thank goodness I had Tobi there to slap me and say to get over myself……..that is what friends do…….let you know that in the grand scheme of things, there is a reason why……..and they will help you solve it.

Em is cooking me dinner tonight, which I am extremely excited about. Birddog is not going to be able to go with me, but that is okay. Em is going to test out her lasagna made with goat cheese……so Birddog might have passed anyway. I am looking forward to girlfriend time. I need it. As a bonus, I get to play with Cookie.

Daylight Savings Time happens this weekend……..I hate that.

The Curse of Caroline has struck again…..I am pricing heating and air conditioning units, as ours has officially kicked the can. Sweet Carolina has called numerous times to apologize…… I will eternally blame this on her……but I love her anyway……as she is quitting the bad habit with me…..so we can be bitchy together.

I am headed home to Kentucky again this weekend. This time it is for a household shower for Clay and Lauren. It seems that I am headed home almost every other weekend until the end of the year. I didn't go home that much in college! Their wedding is December 8th and I am going crazy trying to find a dress. It is hard for a girl to find a dress when she doesn't like shopping. So, if anyone can find me a dressy-dress that says "sister of the groom", please let me know. I bought a beautiful dress but it is black…….and even though it is a night wedding and very elegant, I hate to be the family member that is wearing black. I would really like to find a green one…….does anyone want to go shopping????

And finally…..the news that most of you have been waiting to hear……..I started watching Gray's Anatomy. Penny brought me the first three seasons on DVD and I started watching them a couple of weeks ago. I had to re-watch some of them, because Birddog became addicted during the second season, so I had to watch the first season over with him. And okay…….you were right……..I like it. There, I said it…..are you happy? Birddog is addicted too, which makes it better……something to watch together. We have just finished the third season and I have to download the first two episodes of the fourth season off the internet. Other than that, I think that I have all the other episodes on my DVR……..so don't tell me anything that happens in the fourth season. I really liked the first and second season…..but didn't like the third season as much. That is the horniest group of characters that I think I have ever watched.

I guess that I have rambled enough…..and caught you up on the happenings at Casa de Garton. What is happening in your neck of the woods?