What I'm Laughing/Listenting/Reading/Watching Update

"Believe in love. Believe in magic. Hell, believe in Santa Clause. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. Because if you don't, who will?" ~Jon Bon Jovi

Well folks, I realized it's been a while since I filled you in on what I'm reading, watching and listening to. So, here is my attempt to fill you in on the things I've been enjoying here lately! PLEASE fill me in on your favorite books, movies, songs, and tv shows! I am always up for new suggestions!

What I'm Laughing at:

I'm starting with a video from a 5 year old about her thoughts on marriage. I am IN LOVE with this video and this kid. I'm telling y'all this girl has it figured out and I want to just pat her parents right on the back for teaching her this! Trust me....click on the link and turn up the volume! (Sidenote: I can't get Blogger to let me embed videos....it keeps saying there is an error and re-starting. Any ideas on how to fix this??)

What I'm Listening to:

In addition to the songs I've mentioned recently here and here, I wanted to list a couple of the other songs that have caught my attention here lately.

First we have "Old Alabama" by Brad Paisley. Y'all, I am here to tll you, I am a huge Alabama fan. I mean I love love love them, so their mix with Brad Paisley in this song is fantastic. Favorite verse: "She’d rather wear a pair of cut-off jeans than a fancy evening dress,and with her windows rolled down and her hair all blown around, she’s a hot southern mess." Perfect!

Next, we have "Diamonds on the Inside" by Ben Harper. Not only do I love this guy's voice, but more than that I love the idea of this song. Diamonds on the inside--where they matter. Love that. Not that I would mind a big fat diamond on a very important finger....but you get my point. Favorite verse: "Make sure the fortune that you seek is the fortune that you need."

What I'm Reading:

I'm linking this portion up with Kelly's Corner! I've currently grounded myself from buying any more books. I have a problem. I just love a good book and I love how they look in my house. I currently have over 10, yea, for real, that I have yet to read. Until that stack is gone, no more buying new ones! (To check out the books I've read, am currently reading, and have on my to-read list, click here!) As you'll see below, I'm currently on a Mitch Albom kick. Check him out and you'll see why!

First up is "Have a Little Faith." I plan on writing a couple of blogs based on ideas from this book soon. I'm here to tell you, it's one of those books that makes you think to yourself, "if there were more people like this, the world would be a great place." The book chronicals the story of two men: A Jewish Rabbi who asked the author to give the eulogy at his funeral; A former drug addict and dealer turned Christian minister who makes a difference in the lives of the homeless and forgotten in Detroit. The stories of these men teach us all something about faith and religion, about love and kindness, about understanding and tolerance, about believing and making a difference. I don't know about you guys, but I sure need to hear about all of these things. One of my favorite quotes from the book: "And, as is often the case with faith, I thought I was being asked a favor, when in fact I was being given one."

Second is Tuesdays with Morrie. This book is all about lessons about life taught by a man who was dying.

I realize I may be the only person in the world who didn't read this when it came out 15 years ago.....I'm a little slow. Maybe I wasn't meant to read it yet, because I can assure you that at this point in my life, having lost Mr. Franklin to the same horrific disease that Morrie suffered from, the book really struck a nerve. I can't believe the parallels between this book---the fact that the author's teacher was dying of ALS, the fact that the author called him "coach", the description of the progression of the disease, the mannorisms of the professor, their last words to each other-- and what I experienced in my own life. I am a slow reader, but I read this book in three nights, and had I not had to stop because I was crying a couple times, I could have done it in a day. It's that good. Whether you have had experience with this disease or not (and I honestly pray that you never do), this book is a must read. One of my favorite quotes: "The problem is that we don't believe we are as much alike as we are. Whites and blacks. Catholics and Protestants, men and women. If we saw each other as more alike, we might be very eager to join in one big human family in this world, and to care about that family the way we care about our own."

What I'm Watching:

I'm really not a huge tv person. I have my handful of shows that I watch, but that's about it. I'm counting down the days until Friday Night Lights comes back for its final season (April 15 FYI).

First up, we have Army Wives. This is one of those handful of shows and I'm here to tell you guys, last week was SO sad. I'm not much of a crier, especially at tv shows, but this one got me. Realizing that families losing their loved ones in this manner every single day just really tugged at my heart. Please take a minute today to say a prayer for our soldiers in harms way and for their families. I just cannot imagine what it is they go through.

Second, the NCAA tournament. March Madness is one of my favorite times of year, and this year it didn't disappoint! I said from the beginning I thought there would be tons of upsets, and boy was I right. The Final Four didn't have a single #1 or #2 seed. Nope--we had a 3, 4, 8 and 11. And I think it's awesome. Sidenote, you know what else is awesome? Of the 15 people who entered my friends and family bracket pool, the winner was the Blonde Oklahoma Girl. She hadn't watched a single ball game this year and it was her first time to fill out a bracket. She decided to share her scientific strategy with you all....just click here. Just so you know, she not only won, but she was the ONLY person to correctly pick the winner. That's right, the girl is a rock star.