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Showing posts from November 19, 2010

Magical Moment 294, "Delicious Target"

Hello, little turkey. Thank you for giving your life in honor of our celebration. You are a beautiful and noble creature. Delicious too. A few years ago, back in the Army, I was in charge of running a firing range. We did our marksmanship training on outdoor shooting ranges in the wide-open spaces of Fort Bragg, NC. Part of this duty included arriving at the range before the other Soldiers, to prepare everything. I’ll never forget pulling up to that empty range, in the early, North Carolina haze. For there in the morning twilight, walking along the firing line, were 8 wild turkeys. My driver and I stayed aloof in our HMMWV for fear of scaring them off. They must have found something to eat, because they stayed for a long time. What a humorous and ironic picture that left in my mind. Eight hunted birds known for their tastiness, calmly walking across a live-fire range with brightly painted targets just over their heads. “X” marks the spot. But now that I think about it, it was proba

Magical Moment 293, "Baking Day Comes but Once a Year"

And on the 328 th day, she did bake. And it was good. It’s that time of year when we excitedly anticipate special things that are just around the corner, then suddenly in one short day, they're over. For me, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, and I’m baking. I never understood it, even as a child. The women make a turkey, gravy, stuffing, dessert, set the table, decorate the house, and serve a grand meal while the men eat it. I never fell into the traditional role of domestic tasks such as this. My aversion to cooking came as a young girl when I tried to make pancakes for my family and instead, started a fire. I never really had the patience to follow a recipe, create from scratch, and make a huge mess in the process, when I could go to the store, buy the same thing, and keep the kitchen spic and span. However, I do concede to the tradition for Thanksgiving and do my best to contribute to the feast. I bake 2 things: banana bread and apple pie (I suppose I haven't graduated

Magical Moment 292, "My Sweet Little Duch"

This Thanksgiving season marks the one-year passing of one of my oldest friends in the world, my dog Duchess. We got her as a puppy when I was 12 years old. She came with me when I moved out of the house for college, and stayed with me throughout 3 state-to-state moves. When she passed, I had her for over half of my life. Duchess started out as a family pet, but she became my dog. I couldn’t walk from one room to the next without her following at my heels. When her arthritis kept her from climbing stairs, she would follow me to the bottom step, lay down, and wait patiently for my descent. She went on 4-mile runs with me until she was 12 years old. When she began losing her hearing, I only needed to stretch my hand out to her and she knew that meant, “come.” I’ll never forget as she grew older, dreading the day I knew would inevitably come. If I thought about it too much, I would even begin to cry. She would just stare at me, then come over and lick my hand. I could sense that it

Magical Moment 291, "One Expected the Unexpected"

I surprised everyone by moving here to be near New York City with the intent of becoming a professional musician, performer, and songwriter. I look back now and I understand their shock. Leaving the financial security of our dual military income, a beautiful house, and comfortable life for the uncertainty of unemployment, a career change, and life in the big city must have seemed crazy to most people. After all, we had no family here, no friends, no prospects, and no idea what we were doing. Friends and family's first response was generally something like, "Do you know how much rent is there?!" or "It's so crowded!" As if we weren't aware of this already. But we did our best to explain our reasoning and I learned to appreciate my husband Eddie even more for helping me follow my crazy dreams. We considered several cities that had good music reputations from Austin, to Nashville, to Atlanta, even LA. But New York was always the ultimate to me, and set

Magical Moment 290, "Waiting for Snow"

It’s nearly Thanksgiving and I’m still waiting for snow. I’m a Nebraska girl and have always felt right at home with snow at my feet. Before my husband and I moved outside New York City a year ago to try out this crazy music business thing, we lived in North Carolina for 3 ½ years, where snow is a rarity. Stationed at the Army base of Fort Bragg, we decided that we didn’t want to live in the military town of Fayetteville, and instead bought a house in the next town over, Raeford. One of the best things about living in Raeford was the drive to and from work. Yes, we were forced to wake up earlier and it took longer to get home at the end of a long day, but the driving route was through some amazing scenery. Fort Bragg is geographically the largest Army post in the US because of the massive area of firing ranges and parachute drop zones. Our route to the Fort Bragg gate entrance took us right through these wide-open spaces. And while driving in the morning at sunrise, and the evening a

Magical Moment 289, "Murphy's Law Applies to Mustangs"

I had a harrowing experience the other day. It was a dramatic episode of continuous chaos and stress, in which I was left to my own devices to conquer. With no other choice but to use adrenaline-fueled presence of mind and unrelenting focus, I soon learned just what a true battle this would be. The task? I had to drive my husband’s stick shift to the Airport during rush hour. You laugh, you snicker, but it is no easy thing. First of all, I am no wuss, okay? I’ve jumped from a military aircraft with 90 pounds of combat equipment in the dead of night. I’ve rucked 12 miles at a time with 40 pounds on my back. I’ve gone without sleep for 36 hours and still executed my duties with thoroughness and alertness. But if I’m ever asked to drive a 5-speed mustang through northern New Jersey traffic again, I’ll go AWOL. In the Army, you can expect Murphy’s Law, which allows you to take it in stride when everything falls apart, but I was not prepared for this nightmare ride. I had to pick Eddie

Magical Moment 288, "A Gift of Song"

I’ve never been a huge fan of opera music. I’ve seen 2 operas in my entire life, O Pioneers (based off the book by Nebraskan author Willa Cather) on a 6 th grade field trip, and Phantom of the Opera , the movie (does that count?). But something happened recently that made me want to give it another chance and reminded me that music of any genre can be one of the most cherished and powerful gifts.  It was on a hospital visit with a charity called Sing for Hope , where I and two other volunteers prepared music to serenade the patients. One of the performers was an operatic soprano. The evening was filled with poignant and sentimental moments , as music often brings out emotion in the most unsuspecting people. And in a hospital setting, a place most dread to be, it was amazing to see the smiles and appreciation on the faces of those we sang to. We entered a room of two older ladies who had been placed together as roommates. From the very start, we could tell they would be characters.