Tag: love

listen up!, music musings, music suggestion, show the love, song of the day, you tube

sotd: City and Colour – Lover Come Back (acoustic)

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Good God, I love this man. His voice is so pure and unflinchingly beautiful, it hits to the very core of my being when I hear him sing. This is a song off of his upcoming album, If I Should Go Before You, which, needless to say, I am greatly anticipating. I have read, and after hearing the first four songs, that he is going in a bit of a different, more hardened direction, where there are less acoustically driven songs, but I love everything that I have heard so far, and I know it will be like the rest of his stuff… simply amazing. I am excited for whatever direction Dallas takes us in… wherever we are going, I am there!

all about me, blog on blog, civil rights, flickr, happenings, near and dear, nursing, school

year end… again

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So again, I find myself at the end of another year, and I am sitting here asking myself, what has happened with this year? It has flown by. Since I started nursing school, and since being a nurse full time, I find that I need to have way more down time, and time that I spend recovering from the job, mostly because it is so tough. That being said, I am definitely still here, and things are good; in fact, much better right now than before, and I feel that it will keep getting better. Here’s a few things that have happened recently that I probably should have blogged about, but didn’t.


In September, James and I got married in DC. Here’s a lot of photos, and I realize that I need to upload so many more… in time. It was an amazing experience. We have been together for a little over 11 years, and we got married with friends and family, and it was honestly, the best I could have imagined. My parents were there, James’ parents were there, and everything went over without any issues. The wedding itself was short and sweet, which I liked, the reception was amazing, and is something that we can always cherish. There were many great memories, lots of fun, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

A little over a month ago, I decided to take a big chance, and switch jobs (and hospitals). So far, going from the Emergency Department to the ICU has been a bit of a change (unorganized chaos to timely structure), but I can already tell that I am a lot less stressed, and a lot less upset all of the time. I think the pressure of the ungrateful, not-sick-give-me-a-sandwich patients in the ED finally wore me out, and the universe gave me a huge sign that it was time for a change. I am excited about this new opportunity, and I cannot wait until I get more accustomed to my new environment, and feel as comfortable here as I did in the ED. I have already learned a lot, and I know that this was a good move, and I am excited for the new experience.

Lastly, I started grad school for my MSN, which will propel me from RN to FNP. I am getting more into the process, and I am sure that this is going to be a great thing in the long run, but it’s definitely another major undertaking, that I have decided to take on. It seems that I either love school, or love student loan debt, because here I go again… although the outcome will be a major reward, and I know that it will be difficult, but is ultimately a great choice.

All in all, it’s been a busy year, and many changes have taken place; and I expect great things as a result. Here’s to a great (and hopefully even better than 2014) 2015!

all about me, near and dear, show the love

10 years

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Back in 2003, I had this friend. He and I were pretty close, but little did I know, we were about to get closer. He was sort of “tricked” into confessing that he liked me more than a friend, and with this information, I decided to see where it might go. We were worried that it had the potential to ruin an amazing friendship, but sometimes, the risk is worth it.

This time it paid off.

10 years

Yesterday, September 14, 2013, James and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. We have been through some amazing times and some not so amazing times, but I couldn’t imagine a better partner to have at my side than him. He makes me laugh, he consoles me when I cry, he has stood by my side, and has been there with me through some pretty hard times. We have been on this journey for 10 years, and while there have been ups and downs, the journey has been amazing. I truly hope that this is the beginning of a lifetime together.

I love you James. You are the best partner that anyone could ever hope to have in life; and I am lucky enough to call you mine.

all about me, blog on blog, near and dear

thankful

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It has occurred to me that this year has been quite the tumultuous one, and while I remain extremely stressed most of the time, I have a lot to be thankful for.

James and I have been together 9 years and counting, and I couldn’t be happier. We keep talking about potentially having a child someday, so who knows, maybe we will be parents in the future?!

While we did lose my dear, sweet Sydney this year, which was the worst day of my life by far, we welcomed Charlie into our lives, and it has been quite an adventure. He is pretty good, but when is bad, he can be pretty bad. Poop and pee monster, for sure! Also, please stop chewing on everything in sight, little man!! I still miss Sydney each and every day, and some days are harder than others, but I am just thankful I was able to have a wonderful almost 8 years with him. I love you Sydney!!

We bought a house this year. It was an ironically called short sale, which took a stressful 4 months to complete. We have the house, we don’t have the house, we have the house, we don’t have the house… ACK! Overall, it worked out, and we rented our house to our friend and real estate agent, but it still doesn’t feel totally real at times. This is the house we always wanted, and getting it seems a little dream like, and I guess it is hard to process.

I have been working as a nurse for a year and half now, and I still find that I am not over nursing school. It was a terrible experience that really tore me down emotionally, physically, and my confidence is having a hard time bouncing back. I do feel like I am more proficient in my profession, and I do take a lot of joy home from my job, but there are days that are so intense and they don’t need to be. It just really wears on me at times. I was talking with a coworker recently when it really dawned on me; I have been through a LOT this year, as well as from the beginning of nursing school until now, so maybe a real vacation is in order in the near future.

Finally, I do have to say, that while my anhedonia is a large part of my lack of blogging and participating in my hobbies, I am somewhat content, and I am thankful for the wonderful things in my life. I have an amazing partner, wonderful dogs that love me, a great house that I am trying to realize is a wonderful home, and excellent friends that I get to spend time with. Overall, there is more to be thankful for that not, and that’s something worth noting.

mixed media, show the love, television, that is so gay

must watch: Modern Family

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Initially, it seems that it always takes me a while to get into anything that gets a lot of hype, and because of the pre-season buzz, Modern Family was no exception. However, thankfully, I saw the light early on in this case, and after last night’s hilarious episode, I can definitely say that the hype was right in this case; there is something truly wonderful about this show. The characters are all funny, they are developing them well on the show, and they all play off of one another as an ensemble masterfully. This show doesn’t feel like a “new show” at all.


I almost don’t want to compare it to anything, but I would definitely say that Modern Family bears many similarities to another great show, Arrested Development; perhaps most obviously in the way that it uses a hybrid mocumentary filming style in the story development (not to mention the laugh out loud hilarity found in each show). Shows and movies that use that form of story telling usually draw me in (Best in Show and Drop Dead Gorgeous are all time favorite movies of mine), and Modern Family is no exception. When you add that to the witty writing, and laugh out loud gags, I am confident in saying that that I have found a new must watch show of the fall 2009 season. It’s also extremely refreshing that there is a gay couple on the show, and that they are not just background characters, or stereotypical punchlines/token go-to’s for a laugh. I actually really like their characters, and I like even more that they are portrayed as normal; which, importantly, is what gay people are. Perhaps their characters will help further educate the people in America that still see us as “other” and “different” that we’re just normal people with normal lives; and that we might be the funniest ones around, too. ABC is getting all kinds of plus marks and gold stars from me in their portrayal of gay characters on prime time shows.

I’ve really enjoyed every episode of Modern Family that I’ve seen thus far, and I am excited to see what this show has in store for us. Wednesday nights at 9 just keep getting better and better.

all about me, listen up!, music musings, music suggestion, near and dear, song of the day

sotd: LeAnn Rimes – What I Cannot Change

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I wanted to post about this song, not only because it is incredibly beautiful, but because it really means something to me. LeAnn Rimes’ What I Cannot Change so succinctly sums up such a major issue for me, and does so with such elegance and grace, that it can’t be ignored. One listen to this song instantly gives me chills. It is one of the most beautiful, simply stated, and well put sentiments put to music that I have ever heard.

The arrangement of this song is achingly beautiful, but the spotlight shines brightest on the sentiment behind the message, because it is so impressively poignant. This song is a beautiful reminder, that it is I that needs to understand, and accept the things in life that I cannot change, because that is the only way that I will ever be truly happy. Believe it or not, but this song actually has the power to make me feel better.

[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_12_leannrimes-whaticannotchange.mp3]

Perhaps my favorite line in this song is, “It’s easier to please the world than it is to please myself”, because of how closely it speaks to my own experiences in life, as well as how closely it describes my way of thinking and doing (I care way too much about what others think, and as such, do my best to make sure to put others before myself).

This song is a beautiful way of stating that there are things that I cannot change. I realize that I will have to live with these things, and as such, need to learn to accept that which I cannot change. I realize that I need to continue to learn how to, and then forgive what I cannot change. I also realize that I can change, and I will continue to work towards changing whatever, whenever I can. Thank you LeAnn for this amazing song.

music musings, music suggestion

the 31 best of 2008 – 1: City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love

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And finally… the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my number one album of 2008, by a landslide, is City and Colour’s amazing sophomore album, Bring Me Your Love.From the first sweet guitar chords of this album, through the tales of love, loss, and heartbreak, I was entranced by the sheer beauty in each song. Dallas Green (get it, a city, and a color? genius!) has an amazing quality with song writing, in that he completely wraps his heart around an emotion, and expresses it in such beautiful prose that I can really feel each break in his heart. Dallas’ stripped down acoustic style, accompanied by his incredibly beautiful and soothing voice really take each one of these songs to a level of mastery that I haven’t seen by many artists; both this year, and in my lifetime. With no facetiousness in this statement at all, I can say that Dallas Green has made a life long fan out of me with this album, and after becoming acquainted with his debut album under the name of City and Colour, I have definitely found someone that I would consider a favorite artist of mine; there aren’t many artists that I feel compelled to get everything they put out (demos, live tracks, bonuses, etc.), and City and Colour is definitely one of those very, very few. (thank GOD he is intent on using outlets like iTunes to churn these out, and I can easily get my hands on them!)

Luckily, I was able to catch him live this year, and armed with just his guitar and a microphone, he sat in his chair and poured his heart out in his music, and I completely loved every minute of it. The confidence in his lyrics and songs are coupled with this shy quality from the man singing them that make each track that much more beautiful and tender. Dallas Green himself is quite the handsome fellow as well; what can I say, a beard, black rimmed glasses, and tattoos just do it for me. It doesn’t hurt that his voice is one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, and that he can write a song unlike most, capturing true emotion and love in a lyric. While I loved this album instantly, there are a few tracks that literally give me the chills because of how powerful and amazing they are. Sensible Heart, in particular, is definitely one of my favorite songs of all time. I can listen to it on repeat, and ever since I discovered this amazing album earlier this year, I have been. In fact, I have been listening to this album more and more with each passing month of 2008, and with each subsequent listen, I fall deeper in love with the pure passion that exists within these songs. It isn’t often that you come across an artist that is as truly understated, and as talented in song writing, orchestration, and singing as Dallas Green, and his work as City and Colour has captivated me in a way that I can’t explain. This music literally moves me, and I am more than thrilled that I randomly discovered it earlier this year.

Perhaps a sweet present to remind me that his album is the best of 2008, Dallas released a special edition of Bring Me Your Loveearlier in December, which was limited to 5000 copies. I managed to snag one, and was elated to see an inclusion of two new, and equally amazing tracks that compliment the previous release perfectly. Additionally, a second disc of demos really highlights the sheer talent that Dallas possesses in making music; the slight nuances in his guitar playing and singing are the stuff of real beauty. Honestly, I have said it many times in this review, but if I could describe City and Colour’s music with one word, it would probably be beautiful; because everything that I have heard thus far is nothing less than completely that. By far, Bring Me Your Loveis my favorite album of 2008, and for me, it was hands down the best album released all year. There wasn’t anything that captured my attention in the way that this acoustic folk-rock masterpiece did, and if there is any justice, City and Colour is surely going to be on many other people’s list of favorite artists in the future. Dallas Green is definitely my Sara Bareilles of 2008; he captured my attention with his amazing talent and beautiful music, and I am blown away by his amazing sophomore album, Bring Me Your Love,which is again by far, the best album I heard in 2008.

Sparkle Factor:
Standouts: Sensible Heart [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_829_cityandcolour-sensibleheart.mp3]
Against the Grain [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/cityandcolour-againstthegrain.mp3]
Body in a Box [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_718_cityandcolour-bodyinabox.mp3]
The Girl [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/cityandcolour-thegirl.mp3]
As Much As I Ever Could, What Makes a Man?, Sleeping Sickness, Constant Knot, Waiting.

civil rights, politics, show the love, that is so gay

as if I needed another reason to love Sara Bareilles

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There are a whole bunch of people speaking out against Prop 8, and I was pleased to get this email from one of my very favorite singers, Ms. Sara Bareilles, the other day:

Dear Californians,

I don’t normally delve into the political spectrum, but this particular issue is very important to me and I want to share with you all. As elated as I am with the current election outcome, I’m incredibly disappointed with the passing of Proposition 8, and if you feel as strongly about it as I do, please go to this link and add your name to the thousands and thousands of people that want to help California move forward and truly represent the people that call her home.

Go there, sign it, send it.

“All men were created equal…”

Love and peace.
Sara

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again… I really, really, really, REALLY appreciate all of our straight allies. You all rock! Thank you so much, Sara, I have nothing but love and peace right back at you!!! Man, it really rocks when famous people surprise you in amazing ways like this; it just makes me appreciate them even more (especially when they are among my favorite artists!!)!