My Family "Emergency" (And a little Taylor Swift, too)

Well, for the past week, we have struggled in our family with an issue I think I can now divulge.  Though not the best picture of our dog, that is Sandy.  We have had her about three years, and Martin (our "friend" from England) truly has a bond with her.  He helped pick her out.  There has been a falling out since last year due to many issues I have previously discussed on here.  To make a long story short, he was forced to leave our property.  And he took Sandy from time to time.  But he could only be here six months at a time.

Last Saturday night, he stole her from our yard.  Due to the unique situation, the police can do nothing.  We have been working with out church, and we have decided to relinquish our rights to Sandy.  We will be meeting at our church with him tomorrow, and it will not be pretty.  He will have to find another family to take care of her while we are gone, and we will be getting a new dog.  At some point.

It has been extremely difficult for me in many ways.  I was in love with Martin at one point, and I had fancied that we would marry.  I went a little too far in the relationship with him--especially since he is not a Christian. It is a long story.  I am glad God didn't let me go all the way with him, and he never took advantage of me.  But he was such a smooth talker.  And he figured he was able to control me (just like my ex).

You guys know about my affinity for Taylor Swift.  And there is a song that truly encapsulates the way I feel.  No, I did not lose him to another woman, and I didn't do some of the things in the video, but the essence of the song and video describe the situation.


This was a difficult video to watch the first time, and now I find myself singing this song quite regularly.  No, we did not officially date, but there are some things that look awfully familiar.

I hope one day to have this kind of romance.


This video gets to me.  No, the details don't match up.  With Taylor's songs, I never feel they have to.  But this song is a reason to hope.  I had to meet with Martin today, and the horrible thing is that I am still attracted to you.  The thing I always read about in romance novels happened.  He touched my back, and a shock wave went through me.  I instantly hated myself because my body had the audacity to respond.  But it stands to reason since we were so physical--and never should have been.

The really strange thing is that he thinks he has me figured out and that he can win me back.  I am going to post the follow non-Taylor video.  This song is almost the story of my life to a tee.

Music Monday--Some Random Music Videos

Well, I should be doing a CD review.  I do have a couple waiting in the wings, but I decided I didn't feel like it.  I happened to check out Taylor Swift's new music video featuring a song from the upcoming film The Hunger Games. Martin did not like it all that well, he told me. And I didn't when I first heard it.  But now that I have watched the video, I can appreciate the significance of it.  And she looks really good.  Her voice is different, and I am going to post it here.  Enjoy!

Safe & Sound - New Broadcast Version/Closed-Captioned/The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 And Beyond

Taylor Swift | Myspace Music Videos

Moving on, there has been a country song that I heard a couple months ago, I think, that I loved the first time I heard it. I had been meaning to look up the video, but I just didn't think about it.  Dierks Bentley is not someone I really tend to like.  He has a big head, and most of his songs do not resonate with me.  But once in a while, he releases a song that just captures something within me.  And his current single Home does just that for me.  If you don't like country, still give this one a try.  I think that if you are an American, this will remind you of why you are proud to be one.



And finally, this weekend, I overheard that Lauren Alaina (whom I knew was touring with Jason Aldean) sings Don't You Wanna Stay with him in the concert.  This is in lieu of Kelly Clarkson.  Now, while I cannot say that she is the absolute best fit for this song, I think that she is in the process of making it her own.  I would like to see her even do more with it.  And the redneck girl they have to escort off the stage in this video is pretty interesting.  Enjoy!

Music Monday--Taylor Swift Speak Now World Tour Live CD/DVD Review

Well, I am at it again--another Taylor Swift review.  I know what you're thinking.  There goes the 30-something Taylor Swift nut who is subjecting us to yet another Taylor Swift review.  Yes, that's right, I am.

I put this on pre-order with amazon the moment I knew it was coming out.  I didn't buy anything at the concert.  I was tempted, but I decided that I would just relive the moments in my heart and soul.  And then I found out this CD/DVD was coming out, and I was so excited!

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the DVD.  It was just like being at the concert.  We were able to relive everything we had seen, and we had a perfect, up-close view.  A lot of the DVD was from her outdoor concerts where the special effects were much better than her indoor ones.  I would say that for the "intimate" part of the evening, she chose her favorite portions.  For those who do not know, she sang songs made famous by musicians from the regions from where she was performing that evening.  It was always the "surprise" part of the concert for everyone.

When I watched the credits at the end of the DVD, I was amazed at how much Taylor Swift had a hand in almost every part of the production.  She was producer, assistant director, stage design, costume design, etc.   I think it safe to say that the biggest thing she has going for her is the fact that she is one smart businesswoman.  She is so intimately involved in every portion of her productions and concerts that she gives a show she believes in 100 percent.

The accompanying CD is really nice as well although it basically follows the songs of the DVD (with the exception of songs from her first two albums).  What I really like is that a recording of her new single is on the CD--Ours.  This is a song that I cannot get out of my head, and it is nice to have this song on there as a teaser for next album.  My guess is that she sang this in her later concerts once it was written and finalized as a single.

I know that some of you tired of my glowing Taylor Swift reviews, but I am so impressed with her.  It is so nice to see a humble musician with moral values.  She said on her 60 Minutes interview that she has to think about a million people every morning when she gets dressed (I think it was a million--if not, it was something like that).  And I have never seen her wear anything completely tasteless.  She might wear an occasional low-cut dress, but nothing that shows too much.  Even her bikinis are "old-school" and have been known to been made fun of.

I wish with all my heart that there were more positive role models out there like Taylor Swift.  It's nice to know that she is a normal girl, a happy girl, and a successful girl, but she doesn't jump from bed to bed.  She doesn't take drugs.  She doesn't drop the F-bomb.  I always go back to two of her early songs in which she changed the lyrics because she felt they may not be appropriate for her younger fans.  (I am talking about the songs Picture to Burn and Teardrops on My Guitar.)

I am going to leave you tonight with a video of her current single.  I got so excited when I saw the end of this!  Maybe you can guess why!

Music Monday--Taylor Swift--AGAIN!!

Okay, okay, I know.  I probably sound obsessed--maybe I am.  You're probably so tired of my posting about Taylor Swift, and if you don't want to read this, that is fine.  I am busy reviewing 2 newly released albums by people other than hers, so look for those in the next week or two.

When all the issues I have mentioned really spun out of control, it was right around the time of the Taylor Swift concert.  Originally, I wanted my friend in England to come with Martha and me to that concert--so glad he didn't get to come!  I don't exactly know why, but at the concert, I found myself singing the following song of hers to my friend (who is still pining away in England and sent forth another barrage of garbage just today).


Taylor Swift - Mean
Music Videos at www.yallwire.com

This is the perfect song for that friend of mine.  I'd love to send him the video, but I'm not going to stoop to his level.  I will be big in the blogging world someday (almost at 1000 followers!!), and he won't be able to touch me.  He thinks blogging is a waste of time.  Interesting.  And he says I can't sing.  Again very interesting--I am a classically trained soprano who could have gone on to Broadway of the opera if I hadn't given it all up for my now ex-husband.  Only the three men in my life have not cared for my singing.  That should have told me something.  They liked my voice in the beginning, but then they got to where they couldn't stand it.

I sometimes think that Taylor Swift has somehow been spying on my life.


Taylor Swift - The Story Of Us Official Music... by devilish-romeo
I can't tell you how much I feel like this with my friend!!  I love that in the concert Taylor says "The End" with such certainty.  That's how I feel.  And the battle is in his hands now, and I would lay my armor down.  Actually, after tonight, I'm not so sure.  We may very well be at the end until God gets a hold of him.




And then this last song says it all--truly!

Music Monday--Taylor Swift Speak Now Tour Review

Last Wednesday, September 7th, I had the privilege of seeing Taylor Swift live in her Speak Now concert tour at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state.  If you have followed my blog for any period of time, you will know that I am a big Taylor Swift fan.  In fact, since the concert, I have been able to play little else on my car stereo.

My daughter and my niece (she is an adult) went with me to the concert.  We arrived early, and my niece bought my daughter a Taylor T-shirt and glow stick.  Waiting for Taylor was probably the hardest thing because she had two opening acts.

Forgive the quality of pictures.  We had fairly good seats, but I used my cell phone.  My niece took better pictures, but she hasn't posted them yet.

From the moment Taylor took the stage, I was enraptured.  During her opening song, I was so emotional.  I was trying to sing along like everyone else was, but I felt like I wanted to burst into tears.  I think that all the emotions just built up, and I was so excited to get the chance to see Taylor live!

By the time the second song came, I was singing along.  I was even screaming right along with everyone else.  I was amazed by the pyrotechnics that were used on stage.  I don't know if I would have wanted to be on the stage while those were going off, but it sure didn't phase Taylor.  She gave those songs everything she had, and her energy seemed limitless.  I loved her costumes, the dancers (ballet, tap, wow!), and her instrumental prowess.  It was just as good if not better than a Broadway or Las Vegas show.  The backdrops were out of this world, and her musicians were incredibly talented.

This was an interesting moment in the show.  See the glowing tree?  Taylor is on it, singing away.  At some point, people flocked in that direction, and I had no idea this was the point when she came into the audience. We stayed put because we never would have gotten close enough.  This tree did a slow rotation like a music box as Taylor sang several songs.

This was our view of the stage.  The screens certainly helped as I'm sure you can see.  She sang the majority of the songs from her current album, but she did sing some old standbys.

See that basket?  This was how she ended her program.  She sang Love Story while touring the arena in a suspended basket.  It was definitely our best view of her.

I realize that many of you are not Taylor Swift fans.  If you know anything about me, you will know that initially, I couldn't stand her.  I was first drawn to her song Teardrops on My Guitar, and she kind of grew on me.  I am a trained classical singer, and if I listen to her singing and critique it, I can't say it is anything fantastic.  But she is an unbelievable songwriter, and her energy makes up for everything.  And it is so rare to see someone who is so personable with her fans.

I also appreciate that she is such a positive role model.  So many young actresses/singers--Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Hannah Montana--have gone down the wrong road.  They started out naive, and then they lost it.  Thankfully, Taylor has not gone that road.  She even rewrote a couple of her early songs to take out objectionable lyrics.  If you don't believe me, look it up. As long as she remains grounded, I will be a fan of hers for years to come.  It was so nice to go to a concert and not feel like I had to shield my daughter from any of the sights or songs.