Beautiful Music

I'm a big fan of music- anyone who knows me knows that I'm constantly listening to something!  Lately, I've been on a soundtracks kick. I LOVE soundtrack music.  Some of it is really quite beautiful and makes me all glowy inside!  

Here is a list of

Lacy's Top 5 Movie Soundtracks 

for the Office

To listen to samples, click on the Title and you will be directed to

Amazon, where you may also purchase these titles!

1. The Holiday by Hans Zimmer

2. 27 Dresses by Randy Edelman

3. It's Complicated

4. Spanglish

5. Julie & Julia

I just LOVE these soundtracks!  So joyful and fun!  

If you haven't discovered Grooveshark yet,

 check it out now!  

That's where I listen to all this wonderful music!

Please note that, while the soundtracks to these movies are fantabulous, that does not mean you will all enjoy the movies themselves.  I happen to enjoy all five of these movies, and own 4/5 of them.  Please use audience discretion should you chose to check them out for yourselves.  Enjoy!

A Weekend with the Fam!

In honor of my sister’s graduation on Sunday, we have prepared the guest beds (i.e.- My bed, Laura’s bed, & Leah’s bed…which we’re being forced to surrender…), cleaned the bathrooms, and dusted the living room in effort to welcome our out of town guests set to begin arriving today.

The first of our out of town guests are my mom’s parents- Grampa & Granny (sometimes affectionately called “grannybird” after Big Bird’s granny in one of our beloved children’s books), my mom’s sister- Aunt Lisa… who doesn’t get a nickname because, quite simply, she does not need one, as she has always been the favored out-of-town aunt, and cousin Téa- Aunt Lisa & Uncle Dave’s adorable 3-year-old daughter (or maybe she’s 4…  I can NOT remember for the life of me. She may even be 5!  Who knows?!).  We’re eagerly anticipating their arrival, as we have not seen G&G since last Christmas, and we haven’t seen L&T since last August (I have not seen them since last March)!  

Our final out-of-town guest, Aunt Linda, will arrive Saturday sometime (although, knowing Aunt Linda, I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up late Friday night.  She has to work, but somehow she always manages to show up!).  Aunt Linda is not actually related to us, but she and my mom have been best friends since high school, and Aunt Linda has spent many a Thanksgiving weekend at the Vance house.  We love her just as much as (if not more than) our “real” aunts.

Anyhow, in light of the upcoming mayhem in our house, I have decided to give you five tips on how to Survive a Weekend with Your Family:

1. When waiting in line for the shower, it is best NOT to yell fire.  This can result in some rather awkward moments, and it’s always best to avoid those!

2. At the table, always use your manners.  Borrowing your neighbor’s sleeve as a napkin is not only rude, but also usually results in utter mayhem as said neighbor gets upset and begins yelling, thusly interrupting the entire meal.

3. Always put your toothbrush in a travel holder and place it in an undisclosed location.  This will help ensure that you and ONLY YOU are using your toothbrush.  If Uncle Harry forgot his, he’ll probably just use the first one he finds near the sink- don’t let it be yours he finds. 

4. During those rare moments when you’re actually enjoying the company of your relatives, it is always a good idea to keep your opinions of “I wish they were like this all the time!” to yourself.

5. Remember: Families are a lot like a bag of assorted M&Ms… Colorful on the outside, but sweet on the inside with the occasional nut.

In all seriousness, I love my family and am super excited about spending a few days with them.  Stay tuned  to hear all about the wonderful weekend!

You Make Me Smile...

A picture that can ALWAYS make you smile!

This photo was taken at the Zaanse Schans in the Netherlands- the first stop on our European Chorale Tour in May/June 2010.  My very good friend Laura Bunjer and I stopped here to take our picture with the beautiful windmills behind us, thinking it would make a nice picture... which it would have, had Derrick not stopped to add his interpretation of "nice picture."  We had no idea he was behind us, so imagine our surprise when we reviewed the photo!  So funny! We laughed & laughed & laughed.  On a side note, Derrick & Laura are now dating... :)

On a serious note, God really used this trip in my life in many ways.  Just the simple fact that He chose me to be a part of this amazing trip is astounding.  The short story goes something like this:  I was asked to join the team about a month before their departure date. Everyone else on the team had been fundraising since September; I had just four short weeks to get my passport and the $3,000 of support needed.  God provided every last dime... with about 87 cents to spare!  

I have so many great memories from this experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Most of us (or maybe it’s just me) think of Cinco de Mayo as the Americanized Mexican holiday celebrating Mexican heritage providing an excuse to drink margaritas and other Mexican alcoholic beverages excessively.  I’ve always wanted to celebrate this fun-sounding holiday, but never really have because I don’t drink (which I always thought was the actual point of Cinco de Mayo).

So out of curiosity, I did a little research.  No, I don’t plan to include a bibliography at the end of this mini report, but I do intend to tell you that I definitely used multiple sources, and only glanced briefly at Wikipedia. That being said, here is your history lesson for the day.

Let’s begin with Mexico’s Independence Day, which Cinco de Mayo is NOT.  Independence Day for Mexico is actually celebrated on September 16 in commemoration of the achievement of independence from Spain in 1821.  Cinco de Mayo refers to an event that took place on May 5, 1862. For those of you who are good at math, you will notice that 1862 is a good 40 years after 1821, clearly indicating that Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo are two very distinctly different holidays.  For those of you who are not good at math, just take my word for it.

Anyone who sat through history class (yes, even those of you who sat through history at Harmony High School) knows that the U.S. Civil War was going on during this time in history (and if you don’t, then blame it on yourself, not on your teacher!).  What I didn’t know is that while we were busy fighting each other, Mexico was busy fighting France (and anyone else who tried to take away their independence) as a result of Mexico’s suspended payment of debts due to financial unrest.  The short version goes something like this: Mexico wasn’t ready to give up their independence, so they sent a little podunky troop comprised of locals, not soldiers, to fight the powerful French army (under the leadership of Napoleon III) near Puebla, Mexico, on May 5, 1862; Mexico won, causing the French to retreat (for the time being. Eventually, France DID overtake Mexico).  Also, did I mention that this little podunky Mexican troop was out numbered by at least a couple thousand (some estimate that the French army was almost twice the size of the Mexican troop!) of the most powerful soldiers (army) in the world at that time?  Pretty sweet, huh?

So what does this have to do with the U.S.?  Well, keep reading… I promise it will connect!  Napoleon III, Emperor of France, was a big fan of the American Confederacy.  Some suspect that Napoleon was even prepared to aid (and perhaps WAS aiding) the Confederacy financially.  If not for the defeat of the French army on Cinco de Mayo, Napoleon may have even gone so far as to send troops to aid the Confederate army!  If he had done so, the Confederacy may have just gotten the extra push they needed to win the Civil War, changing the face of the United States as we know it. Because it didn’t end this way, no one can say for certain what would have happened had the French joined forces with the Confederacy, and I’m not saying that we owe the survival of our country to a podunky, yet brave troop of Mexicans (because that would definitely be an exaggeration), but imagine how different the story might have ended if the Mexicans hadn’t defeated the French at Puebla! 

I hope you enjoyed this brief history lesson as much as I enjoyed writing it!  I happen to love history and find this bit if information very intriguing!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! 

Photo Challenge

I'm sure you've all noticed the recent facebook posts everyone seems to be doing involving 30-31 photos with random useless information... they call it the 30 Day Photo Challenge.  Well, I thought it looked like fun, but I thought instead of doing it on facebook, I'd use the list of ideas for blogging inspiration.  And instead of doing it every day for a month, I'd complete the project over the next several months.  And instead of just sticking to the list, I'll be adding in my own variations on the suggestions. Today, I'll be doing the first one on the list.

______________________

A photo of yourself accompanied by ten facts.

Facts:

1. My full name is Lacy Lynn Vance.  My middle name comes from my mom's name "Linda," which is sometimes shortened to "Lynn." 
2. Music is a constant in my life; I can always find a song to fit my mood.
3. I used to work at a fabulous jewelry store, where I fell in love with quality jewelry.
4. I'd like to teach English/Literature one day at a large public high school. 
5. I currently live in the country, but I'm a city girl at heart.  I can't wait to move to a place that has multiple shopping malls within a half hour drive of my house!
6. If #4 never happens, I'd like to work in the office (secretary, receptionist, etc.) at a large public high school, where my husband coaches the baseball team. :) 
7. I can currently speak no foreign languages.  Someday, I'd like to learn Spanish, French, and German.
8. Cake and Frosting are color/flavor exclusive in my world.  Chocolate cake is always best with chocolate frosting, and white cake is always best with white frosting.  I don't particularly care for the whipped frosting; I like the regular stuff.
9. Even though they don't last forever, the perfect gift is always accompanied by flowers. I prefer roses and/or carnations.
10. There are four girls in our family (I have three sisters), and I am the only girly-girl.

Hope you enjoy getting to know me better through this project. I've only done the first post, and I already love it!