Lauren graced me with the joy of this style of youtube video, and now I’m obsessed.  I know I should be able to look away, to stop watching one after another.  But, alas, I’m just not that strong.  Instead of embedding twenty of my favorites, I’ll let you find them after you watch this one.  Lauren’s right… wait til about 2:40 has gone by in this one and grab a tissue. You’ll need it.

It’s probably wrong of me to do so, but I blame a certain four-year old for me knowing all of the words to all of the songs in all of the High School Musical movies. You believe it’s her fault right? Well, Mama Munchkin sent me this video text message today, and in turn I forwarded to everyone who I thought might need a good chuckle. Trust me, this lil character is just as out of control in real life as she is when the camera is on her.

I need to stop listening to this song on repeat for hours at a time.  For the first time in a long time, I find myself reaching out to ‘happier’ music and this is definitely one of my new favorites.  It’s a bit Mrazish, not that I mind, and if you don’t watch it, you’ll be singing along in no time.

This is my Winter Song, too.  Even when I haven’t been blogging, I have been collecting lil tidbits from the internet of things that I knew I had to share with you.  Take this gorgeous song from two of my leading musical girl-crushes.  I caught them performing this seasonal ballad on Leno a few weeks back and have kept my fingers crossed for a true music video.  This is better than I could have hoped.  It makes me want to join their cartoon world and wear cute scarves and mittens and have rosy-pink cheeks. Here’s to the silent wish we’ll see more Sara-Ingrid ballads in 2009.

Merry Christmas!  I’m not sure when this post will actually see the light of day, but that really doesn’t matter when you can back publish posts, right?  I’m home in Willcox for the holiday season, and now more than ever there is really no other place I’d rather be.  I’ve been home since Saturday when my amazing brother drove all the way to Flagstaff (Thursday night) to bring me home since I can’t drive due to my awesomeness and ankle air cast.  Since I’ve been home I’ve been graced with the opportunity to see Hero and her lovely family, countless hometown friends, and my lifelong church family.  I forget sometimes what it’s like to be in this small town until we head to the grocery store and run into at least 4 or 5 people we know.  It’s in those ‘hello…catch up… hope to see you soon’ moments that I feel truly blessed to be a native of such a small community.

One of the highlights of my time home this Christmas was the annual church caroling session on Sunday night.  For the past five years, my mom and I have bundled up and met a handful of our lifelong church friends at the church to carpool to the four nursing homes in town and the homes of our elderly and shut-in church members to sing our favorite carols to them.  I could pretend that my participation in this yearly activity is purely altruistic, but the truth is beyond making the elderly happy and getting to see them sing-a-long with just us, I go for two selfish reasons.   The first is to have the chance to stand beside my mom and sing.  There’s something almost magical about how family sounds together when they sing and living five hours away from mine limits the time that Mom and I get to sing together.

The second reason that I never miss these church outings is my dearest childhood friend, Kate.  I don’t know how to explain Kate but to say that she’s everything you’d want your daughter to grow up and be.  As a kid I knew Kate’s sister Leslie better than Kate because Kate was nine years older than me.  Leslie was just a year older than me and was born with Down’s Syndrome.  Of all the things Kate and I share a protectiveness and love for Leslie is atop the list.  The first few times Kate and I went caroling together it was because we both were home visiting family, however two years ago Kate moved home to be closer to Leslie which means I get to see her on more than just holidays.  Heck, she even cuts my hair now!

Caroling with Kate is an absolute joy.  Not just because she’s got an awesome voice and is fun to sing with, but because everything with Kate is just that much more fun when she’s there.  Things that normally would annoy us or upset us singularly seem funny when we’re together.  It’s like having a sister or kindred spirit who you don’t have to see everyday to feel close to, and no matter the activity, you’d both show up to just spend time together.  This year was no different.  From singing ‘Feliz Navidad’ and ‘Hit The Road, Jack’ in the back of her parent’s Explorer to sharing ancient stories of church follies, caroling with Kate, Leslie, their dad, Mom and Zac was two hours that I wouldn’t trade for anything else.

So on this Christmas morning, I’m happy.  Thankful for friends.  Blessed by family, and ecstatic to be home.  Merry Christmas to each and every one of you… I hope that you, too, are as blessed as I am.

The game just changed.

RIAA says, “No more lawsuits: ISPs to work with RIAA, cut off P2P users.”

It’s good to know that even back before cds, iPods, and Napster I was sticking true to my love/obsession with music. I’ve even got the middle school poetry to prove it.

It makes me think of White Chocolate Peppermint Mochas in the BSM, car drives around Flagstaff to checkout the lights, and those annual voyages to Los Abrigados with flashlights and puke breaks. Those were good times.

I’ve always considered myself to be a math person, so I should have realized this bloggin’ everyday thing would eventually lead to a large number of posts.  However, when I noticed a few days ago that I was approaching the big 5-0-0, it was more of a suprise than it should have been.  Let’s not tell Mr. Laduke (my HS math teacher) that I’ve slipped so far down the arithmatic chain, k?  With my ankle propped up and icing (see, Mom, I am taking care of myself) I spent a few hours this evening reading back again through the last year and a half of my life, and as much as I’m still Laurel, I find hope in the growth and change that has happened.  So to commemorate this slightly momentous posting occasion, I thought I’d share back with you five of my favorite/truest/funniest posts of our time together.

5)  Happy Birthday, Spacewolf!  (Zac’s 25th Birthday video)

4) My mom’s love of telling time, my dad’s ADD confessions, and Zac’s pranks… humor… and awesomeness.

3)  The time I was called a lesbian, saw Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, John Mayer, Ingrid, the Crows and Matty Nay to name a few, fed the masses, begged my bffs take over, and celebrated my 27th in style.

2) Written back at the beginning of the great CaresTeam departure/Laurel moving out on her own.

Change is still headed my way. I’m still gonna have moments of complete and utter collapse, and what needs to happen in the next few months will still overwhelm me. But, I’ve stopped playing the reality peek-a-boo game because I know that time marches on whether or not you want it to. For now, let’s go ahead and schedule a time this fall where we can all sit back and laugh at my drama queen distress today. We’ll watch the Arizona sun set as we sip iced tea, and I won’t be offended when you remind how we all knew deep down… it would be okay.

Say it with me now… you were right. It was/ok better than ok.

1) The great Charlie abduction, ransom note, detective work, and New World Order video.

It’s funny. Usually by this time in the year, I’ve got a peppermint mocha in my hand, and Christmas music blaring from all nearby speakers. Sure, my house is decorated for the holidays and pretty stinkin’ cute if I say so myself. My shopping is all done, and my Christmas cards are ready to mail. But beyond my repeated watchings of Elf (my favorite Will Ferrell movie) and without the presence of that white, flaky stuff (snow for all of you in the rest of Arizona), I’m just not feeling the season yet. It really doesn’t help either that the stores started playing holiday tuneage after Halloween. I mean I love ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ but have no desire to sing it seven weeks before I’ll actually be home. So today’s musical offering or early Christmas present is the playlist that is currently filling the musical spaces of my life. Maybe by next week, we’ll get to talk about the joys of Christmas music and singing carols, hopefully:)

David Archuleta- Crush: Don’t hate. There’s a reason this kid was the American Idol runner-up. “Do you catch a breath when I look at you? Are you holding back like the way you do? ‘Cause I’m trying, trying to walk away. But I know this crush ain’t goin’ away.”

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Missy Higgins – Where I Stood:  “And I won’t be far from where you are if ever you should call. You meant more to me then any one I’ve ever loved at all. But you taught me how to trust myself . And so I say to you, this is what I have to do.”

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Kanye West – Heartless: Kanye is 2008′s ambassador to the 80s. “In the night I hear them talk. The coldest story ever told. Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless. How could you be so heartless?”

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Jennifer Hudson – Spotlight: (GO WATCH the video.  NOW.) “Well, I don’t like living under your spotlight just because you think I might find somebody worthy.”

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Adele – Chasing Pavements: Oh, Adele.  If things go as I hope, this songbird will walk away with at least one Grammy this spring.  (fingers crossed) “Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements? Even if it leads nowhere? Or would it be a waste even if I knew my place?”

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John Mayer – Clarity/Lost Remix: Mayer covering Coldplay might be blasphemy to some but not me. “Just because I’m hurting doesn’t mean I’m hurt.  Doesn’t mean I didn’t get what I deserve. No better and no worse.”

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Estelle – American Boy: With just enough Kanye to make it right.  “I really want to come kick it with you.  You’ll be my American boy.”

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Ray LaMontagne – Let It Be Me: How can you not fall in love with this man’s voice… “That’s when you need someone, someone that you can call.  And when all your faith is gone, feels like you cant go on.  Let it be me.”

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Pink – Sober: Sure, she might beat the crap out of you in a dark alley.  But the emotion in her voice while she did it would so make it worth it. “I’m safe up high.  Nothing can touch me. But why do I feel this party’s over?”

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It’s been ten years since the entertainment phenomenon of Britney Spears arrived on the scene, and since then the world has been obsessed with her every waking moment. Last night after a busy week and busier weekend, Lauren and I finally sat down to watch the DVRed Britney Spears: For The Record documentary on MTV, and after watching I feel nothing but pity for her. Sure, she chose fame and made the choices that brought her to the place she is in, but that in no way means, I have the right to find pleasure in her pain.

The truth is if people didn’t read the tabloids or buy the magazines, Britney’s story would be different. I won’t lie… I’ve made fun of her in the past. Laughed at her 2007 VMA performance… stared bewildered at her shaved head… enjoyed watching the mighty fall. But after watching her, I can’t help but wonder when did I become so calloused that the brokenhearted (no matter who they are or how much they’re worth) don’t affect me anymore?

On the latest album of Bebo Norman (one of my favorite Christian artists), Norman wrote a song specifically for Britney as an apology to what we as the world have done to her and young women as a whole. We’ve taken everything that should matter as a person and replaced it with superficial fluff, and now we wonder why our 12 year-olds look 16. I’m just as much to blame as the next person, but I’m hoping the next time I start to find joy in someone else’s misfortune I’ll remember this song… and the broken girl we’ve created.

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I’ve been contemplating what albums would make my Top Eight of 2008 list here when I ran across this helpful guide on one of my favorite music blogs. #4 and 5 are my favorites.  Stay tuned for my official list closer to the end of the year.

It’s a sad day in Laurelland.  My big iPod went to be with Jesus late this afternoon, and the mourning has officially begun.  I’m not as devastated about losing the physical hardware as I am about losing the 51 amazing playlists I had created in our time together.  Do you know how long it takes to create the perfect sing-a-long or rainy day playlist?  Years, I tell you! It was especially difficult to whittle down my gigabytes of John Mayer and Ryan Adams to only three a piece.  But just like when buying a new puppy after the loss of a faithful companion, I need time to heal before I even think about bringing a new iPod into the family.  I need to be sure that not only will it meet my portable musical needs but that it will place nice with the other three members of my iPod family.  Most of you might think that that’s pathetic or insane, I just call it good mothering.

Last year’s John Mayer all in one gave us “Where The Light Is”. This year’s is being streamed live on the intarwebz. Once again he knows exactly how to soothe the pain of not being able to attend.  So if you’ve got nothing else to do on Sunday night… we will be watching it and sighing and swooning and singing (and salivating.)

Nothing says Thanksgiving like Turkey, football, naps, and John Mayer on Letterman before bed. This year with a lil coercing and benevolence some of my non-JM loving friends and family tuned in for me and might have enjoyed themselves. (I promised I wouldn’t out them though.) I don’t even need to tell you how much I loved this rendition of a Sinatra song with Chris Botti. If you’re too convinced he’s a douchebag to enjoy, you could always close your eyes and forget who it is.