I love coming across the unexpected. One of my professors posted this on a class discussion board and it made my day.

Here’s to adding a song to yours!

I thought I’d post this picutre just to make sure you all found me!

Changing blogs has been a project of my husband’s. He bought the domain, found a hosting service, and has spent hours tweaking and adjusting. I feel kind of like Truvy at the end of the movie Steel Magnolias. (Strangely enough, this is the character played by Dolly Parton! Is this woman on my brain or WHAT?) Truvy’s husband drives her up to a surprise second location for her beauty shop downtown. Surveying the pink and lattice-work store front she squeals, “I’M A CHAIN!”

For some reason that’s how I feel, only it is more like, “I’M A DOT COM!” My husband is so wonderful. It is easy to stay motivated toward your goals when the person who loves you best and knows you best not only supports you but even pushes you to pursue more.

This post is for you, Dan! Love you!

(And Serenity has a new home, too!)

I remember watching this performance by Dolly Parton in 1989 and feeling the thrill of shared faith. I mean, there she was in her fancy dress and long nails standing on a huge stage singing about something that I totally identified with. I think later, when she presents the next award, she says, “lordy” when she can’t get the envelope open and then worries, “I don’t know, can you say ‘lordy’ on this show?”

Don Francisco is the writer of this Easter classic and his version on YouTube is great also, but this is the one I remember connecting with. Today is Good Friday, and I haven’t been very good at exploring the quiet somberness of it yet. I’m kind of stuck on getting to Sunday! However, this song is kind of long – the “Sunday” stuff doesn’t show up until around the 4 minute mark. But, like waiting through Friday and Saturday, the wait is worth it. If you try to skip to the end without listening to the reflective, repetitive verses, the end won’t mean as much. So, I guess I do get it a little.

Enjoy “He’s Alive” – one of my favorite Easter songs. And don’t skip anything – ’cause Sunday’s comin’!

At the author reading I attended this weekend I heard two bits of fabulous advice. One of them I’m saving for another post – it was just so lovely and affirming. The one that most applies to me (and probably you if you write at all) is this one:

He doesn’t believe in writer’s block.

OK – I like that. When an audience member asked him if he has ever faced writer’s block and how he handled it, he simply replied that if he doesn’t feel like writing he reads. A finalist for the National Book Award in 2008, he claims he has never missed a deadline following this advice. He has also never taken a creative writing class, which both irks me and thrills me. My English major advisor assured me this is often the case: the best writers are readers – they study writing by reading what and how others have written.

I know this is true for me when it comes to academic papers. When I feel stuck or don’t know where to start it usually means I don’t have enough information to craft a thesis idea out of. If I read for a while I almost always strike upon a brilliant (or at least satisfactory) idea.

So from now on, if I don’t have anything to post here, I might just copy a passage from a favorite book and call it a day. Afterall, you need to work on your writing as well! We’ll do it together.

Most of you know I’m finishing my English degree online. I’m married with four kids, a dog, and a full-time job. Oh, and I live in the middle of nowhere. Finishing this degree on campus was not even an option. I’m so thankful for the opportunity that I have to finish my degree in the hours after my kids go to bed and in all the other spaces I can find in the day (and the night and the afternoon and . . . )

My experience going back to school online has been so positive, that I didn’t even know I was missing something – until this weekend. I convinced Seren to jump in the car with me and make a road trip to a Verbal Arts Festival at my university, which turns out to be only about 2 1/2 hours away. As I sat at a long table in a charming cafe on Saturday afternoon, I got to chat with my advisor over chicken salads and a Diet Coke. Up until this weekend I had only known these professors through email and online course management systems. Sitting across from her at lunch I was able to admire her elegant silver hair and charming smile.

I didn’t only meet professors, either. One of my classmates came all the way from California! Meeting the actual person behind a Facebook profile is like the difference between the photograph of the menu item and the food itself actually sitting on a hot plate in front of you. It may not be exactly what you were expecting, but it is always more satisfying to be able to touch it, smell it, and taste it. I savored every moment with these friends.

When former socialite Margaret Hale (from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South) meets common factory workers Nicolas and Betsy Higgins she says she finds a reason to enjoy her new town because she has found a “human connection.” This is how I felt about my education this weekend. Luckily, I’ve always enjoyed my online studies, but now I feel so much more connected to them!

I enjoyed last week’s Seven Word Wisdom challenge so much that I thought we’d try it again this week.

Remember, the rules are to condense your best wisdom on the given topic into seven words using a two-word, three-word, two-word sentence pattern. For example: Play now. Use seven words. Tell friends.

Today’s topic: Make-up! Last week everyone came up with such great wisdom for my girls concerning fashion and clothes. This week I wonder what you’ve got when it comes to make-up. Since Ada, my five year-old, showed up at the breakfast table this week in eye shadow and lip gloss, I think I’m going to need your help!