Thinking About My Grandpa

A young Irvin Dale Wyatt. Very dashing.

In two days it will be ten years since the passing of my Grandpa Wyatt. The moment I found out he died is like a snapshot in my mind. I remember where I was, who I was with, what I was wearing, the lighting in the room, everything. It was a moment that would change my life.

I could flood this post with anecdotes of him, but all I will say is that he was a great man and the best grandpa. My daughter is named after him - her middle name is Dale.

So, with Thanksgiving here, I am grateful to have the grandpa that I did. I'm thankful for his still present influence in my family and in my own life. And I'm really thankful that I still remember him as well as I do.

Because even though it has been ten years, I still miss him.

Grandpa and I one Christmas morning. I was sick.

I Feel It All

IT'S ALIVE!!

The 'it' being me and the 'alive' being how music makes me feel.

Sadly, I've only had a foggy existence in the music world the last little while with the arrival of the Munchkin and all. But last night the fog was lifted as I delved back into it all.

Austin and I went to our first concert in quite a while. Feist. She was great. So charming. So passionate. I been walking around singing all day.

If you are unfamiliar with her I suggest checking her out. I've posted what I think would be considered her most popular track of the moment below. But don't be fooled by her mad dancing skills - this isn't even her best stuff.



Even more exciting? In a little over a week I get to see Travis. I've posted one of their videos below too. Enjoy.




Now that I'm back at it, I plan on going to concerts more regularly. Anyone want to join me?

Tagged

As someone new to blogging I've seen this tagging thing being passed around in various forms, and unlike my friend Annie I hoped that it would skip me. And if anyone but Annie had tagged me I probably would've ignored it and pretended not to see it, but since I just adore Annie and since this seems basic enough, here it is. Six things/habits that most people do not know about me:

1. I meow. It runs in my family. Siblings, cousins - we all enjoy meowing. A lot can be communicated through meowing. I can also meow duets. Cousin Joe and I do a killer 'Carol of the Bells'.

2. As a child I had a petrifying fear of aliens. Not aliens like ET, but mean aliens. My mom had a book that was a "true" account of a man being abducted by aliens and being tested on. My sister and I would sneak into her room, skim through the book until we found the scary parts and read them. In his account the aliens would come out of the closet at night. After these reading sessions I was convinced that I too had been abducted by aliens. I would check my closet every night to make sure some menacing alien was not mistaking the pile of shoes on the floor for his spaceship.

3. I once called the Scottish Embassy to find out where all the Scottish men hung out so that I could get a date with a Scottish guy.

4. My first concert was New Kids on the Block. Or NKOTB, as I've heard they prefer to go by. We got free tickets. In the circles I ran in NKOTB were lame-o. But after the concert I just loved them! But I couldn't admit it - I wanted to keep running in the same circles! I would make fun of them with all my friends while I secretly held a torch for Joey McIntyre. Then, what I thought was a foreshadowing of a life together with Joey, my Uncle Milliard gave me a glossy picture of NKOTB with a signature from Joey himself. It read: "To Margaret, Love Joey McIntyre." He had no idea I loved them. And yes, I still have the picture.

5. My friend Jana and I wrote a musical. It's about a leprechaun that falls in love with a human princess. Two of the best songs: 'Work'- about the slave labor of the leprechauns and 'Forbidden Love'- the heartbreaking duet between the species-crossed lovers. Austin really thinks I need to get it all down on paper. I'm thinking some witty dialogue by Neil Simon and we have a hit!

6. I hate answering "favorite" questions. What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite band? What is your favorite food? It depends on the day, my mood, what's going on in my life, etc. These types of questions always make me feel suffocated. They are such bold statements. If I tell you my favorite band is _____, then you might not realize how much I love the band _____. And once it's out there it's out there - you will always think my favorite band is something that might not be true. So I avoid these questions at all costs. Oh yea, and I tend to over-think things in general.

According to the rules I'm supposed to tag 6 people. So, I will tag Jana, Sara, Kim, Kara, Hilary and Adrienne. If you have already done it, then no worries and no pressure. I won't be offended if you ignore it.

Here are the rules. I'm supposed to post these.
The Rules
1. The player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves - try to find 6 you haven't already posted about.
2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

Happy Halloween - a day late