Amy Grant: More than just a singer

Those who know me know of my love for Amy Grant. Seriously. Literally everyone who's ever known me knows I love Amy Grant. It's just part of who I am.

You people probably could NOT care LESS about why I love Amy Grant so much. But I'm writing this post anyway...more for myself than anything.

Yesterday my roommate's friend started asking me about Amy, why I love her so much...what my favorite Amy song and album are...so on and so forth. I couldn't give him a real clear answer as to what my favorite song or album is, which got me thinking. I briefly explained to him that my love for Amy goes much deeper than enjoying her songs or her voice. While I do love those things, there's so much more behind my Amy Grant dedication.

There are a few reasons I've formed such a strong admiration of Amy Grant. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you'll recognize some of this from a post I wrote a couple years ago.

1....

***Many of you know me as the daughter of Chuck and Carla Hanchett. Or, if you don't personally know my mom and Chuck, you most likely do know that my dad, Brian Perry, passed away when I was 8 years old. Amy Grant, to me, represents the me that existed as the daughter of Brian and Carla Perry.

I was introduced to Amy Grant's music when I was...maybe 3? I used to say that my first encounter with her music was when I was 5 years old. My mom was pregnant with my brother and I distinctly remember my mom and dad buying her Heart in Motion album/tape and saying to Kayleen and me, "We're going to have a little baby in our home soon. And this tape has a song about a baby." We were excited...there was a song about our little unborn brother on that tape! My parents were referring to Amy's popular song Baby Baby which is about Amy Grant's daughter, Millie. Amy wrote it for/about Millie when Millie was only an infant. The record company made it into a love song. But, now that I think of it, I don't believe this was my first introduction to Amy, because my mom had Amy's "Collection" tape that I can remember listening to prior to Baby Baby. Anyway...I loved Amy back then because I wanted to be a singer, and I loved pretending I was her. I'd stand on the coffee table with a hair brush and just belt it out. Kayleen and I would request her on basically every car ride.

My dad liked Amy Grant. My mom liked Amy Grant. Our little family liked Amy Grant. We all listened to her together. So you see, she represents a part of my history that not many people know or are familiar with. The Brian/Carla Perry family. The days when my dad was not just a memory.***


2....

***My dad's death, and then my mom's second marriage to Chuck, were not easy for me.

When my dad got sick, he changed. He was not the same person. He was more impatient, more child-like...and my 6, 7, and 8-year-old brain just couldn't handle it. He wasn't my dad. But Amy...Amy was Amy. And she'd calm me. When everything else around me was changing, Amy Grant remained the same. I'd listen to Heart In Motion and my mind would go back to the simple days in Germany, when my dad was well and things were "normal." After my dad's death, she produced another album. I got it for Christmas, and of course, listened and listened and listened. Amy's soothing voice was familiar to me. And helped me during really, really hard times. She was my friend, and her words brought me comfort.

Sometime after my mom got remarried, I went through a really depressed period of time. It's not exactly easy to combine two separate families... I won't go into that with too much detail, but we'll just say there were a lot of changes, and I, once again, had a constant in Amy. Not only was there a constant in Amy, but she influenced me to express my emotions and feelings through music. I had remembered hearing her say in an interview something to the effect of, "I believe everyone can write a song; they're just intimidated by the idea, so they never try." I decided to put that theory to the test. I wanted to try. I borrowed my math teacher's guitar while I saved up my baby-sitting money for a year in order to buy my own. I learned simple chords and began to play Amy Grant songs. And then, I did it. I wrote my first song. And then my second, and third, and fourth, and a million. Amy was my inspiration. Because of my desire to play and write songs like she did, I had an outlet. I stayed sane. I developed my love of writing, singing...my love of artistic expression.***


3....

***I'm someone who tries to wear my heart on my sleeve. Actually, I don't try. It just comes naturally. I can't keep a lot of things inside. I talk about everything, good or bad. I try to be real. Transparent. Again, I don't really try. Often, to my own downfall, I'm too transparent. I can't hide what I'm feeling to save my freaking life. It can be really bad sometimes. There's good and bad about everyone's personalities and qualities.

But here's the deal. Amy Grant always seems real to me. Even when her music was kind of pop-ish and mainstream, she still wrote songs that meant something to her. She often says, "My mom always said, 'When you get on stage, sing something that matters.'" And she's tried to do that. You can hear the rawness and realness in her voice. She smiles while she sings. Sometimes she cries. You can just hear it.

Amy wrote this on her Facebook page the other day...and it represents exactly how I feel. "At some point in life you realize that some things really matter and some things don't. Living matters. Celebrating life matters. Seeing the value in hard times matters. Relationships and people matter. Faith matters. I feel like that's where my head has been while writing and recording this project." That project is her latest album, How Mercy Looks From Here.

Amy gets me. We're on the same page. At least, I think we are. Her music represents who and what I'm trying to be in this life. Real, raw, a good friend, a faithful daughter of God. ***

 These three things leave out a lot of tender things...like fond memories made over Amy Grant music, concerts attended with friends and family, Christmas decorating, karaoke fun...all to Amy's music. But, I'll spare you all those little memories.

So, friends. Amy is much more than a voice, a lyric, or a tune. Call me crazy. Call me obsessed. Call me a fanatic. That's fine. Her music has, I believe, made me a better person. If I ever get to meet her one day...well, I'll probably pee my pants and blubber some random nonsense. Maybe I'll just print this out and hand it to her. Who knows. But I'm thankful for her dedication to creating real, raw, meaningful and good music. It's saved my life on more than one occasion.

Deep As it is Wide

Original EASY Paleo Recipe--Skillet Chicken

I made the following recipe up...randomly. I do that often. But this was good, to my taste buds anyway.

Need:
2 Chicken breasts
1 Onion, sliced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
Italian seasoning (I honestly don't know how much I used)
Salt (same as the Italian seasoning)
1/2 C. Sun dried tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 C. Artichoke Heart OIL (as in, the oily sauce that they marinate the artichoke hearts in...I use Costco brand)
1/2 C. Sauerkraut

Pour the oily liquid into a skillet along with garlic. Get it hot. Add Chicken. You can cut the chicken up, or you can keep it whole. I usually keep mine whole, but it depends on how fast I want it to cook. Add onion and tomatoes after the chicken's been cooking a little while. Sprinkle on Italian seasoning and salt. I probably used between 1 to 2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning...maybe more. Depends on my mood. :) Sate all of that together for...I don't know. 10 to 15 minutes maybe? Again, it will go faster if you cut up the chicken. Turn the heat to medium low, cover skillet with lid and let it all simmer up into a sauce type thing. Make sure the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, add Sauerkraut right before you eat it.

YUM. Call me crazy...but YUM.

You could also add some chopped up artichoke hearts if you want. But those are some of my favorite things in the world, so I often have leftover oil with no hearts to actually use, because I've already eaten them all. :)

Let me know if anyone actually tries this. Maybe I'm just a wacko that likes crazy combinations. Or maybe, just maybe...I created a masterpiece! ;)

Thank Heaven for nieces and nephews

*For their open-mouth kisses when they're small
*For smiling when you play peek-a-boo
*For thinking you're so cool for taking them to get ice cream as they get older
*For never judging you based on looks, social status or job title
*For always being excited to see you
*For wanting to show you their latest drawing, school assignment or doll collection
*For giving you glimpses of Heaven when they sleep
*For melting your heart when they bring you a book and turn around to get situated just perfectly in your lap in order for story time
*For being ecstatic when you agree to have a slumber party on the living-room floor with them

And most importantly for me...

*For giving me someone to love, kiss and hug on while I'm wandering through this single/alone section of life

They keep my heart soft, thankful, positive and happy.

Thank Heaven for nieces and nephews.

Things I've refrained from posting on Facebook

I have a bitter-sweet relationship with Facebook. Part of me loves it...is obsessed with it and its amazing ability to keep people connected. The other part of me hates it, because it sucks you in and gives you a false sense of popularity, companionship, security and attention. When 20 people "like" your status, that just means that 20 people like your status. 20 people can passively, lazily say "Hey...I'm giving you attention, just to let you know I find amusement in what you wrote." It doesn't mean those same 20 people would have thought highly enough of you to actually call you up and say "I really appreciate what you said. Let's talk more about your thoughts." Probably 2 out of the 20 people would actually do that.

So, I've tried...TRIED to limit my posting on Facebook this week. Because I'm just tired of always thinking what I have to say needs to be heard by my facebook gang. But don't get me wrong, I've thought of plenty of things to post throughout the week. And I've even started to write them out to post, and then I've deleted them.

I'm not trying to belittle Facebook or other people who post frequently. And there's nothing wrong with posting something and enjoying the "likes" you receive on a post. Seriously, this is a battle within myself. A battle I fight both in the Internet world and in the real world. When should I stop talking? When is what I'm saying important...not important? Why do I think what I have to say is so special? Why do I feel the need to get so much attention? Why do I want people to think I'm funny? These are questions I ask myself a lot. And sometimes, I just need to stay silent...FORCE myself to stay silent, just to take a break from myself. You know?

With all that said, I need an outlet for all the things I would have posted on facebook this week. Since I have far less readers on this blog than I do in the land of Facebook, I thought it would be a good outlet.

1) I've been known to eat a whole apple on occasion...core and all. Gross? I think not. Just takin' after the cavemen. Try it. What makes the core any different from the rest of the apple? It all tastes the same.
                  Brilliant, I know. That would have gotten a total of...1 like.

2) I'm not going to say where I stand on gay marriage...basically because I just don't want to get into it with anyone. But what I will say is this: I'm tired of ignorant and insensitive people comparing gay marriage to a person wanting to marry their pet or an inhuman object. I hear it constantly..."Next thing you know, people will want to marry their dog." Really? Seriously...really?!? Come on, people! No matter where you stand on this issue, that is just downright insensitive. Two consenting adults who deeply love each other and want to get married is the same thing as a man or woman wanting to marry a dog, cow, chicken or shoe??? That just baffles me beyond belief. I will never understand that comparison, and I refuse to accept it. Let's have a little more respect for each other. You don't have to agree with gay marriage...but we can at least show some consideration of people's feelings.

                 I'm curious to know how ripped apart I would have gotten for that one....

3) Another week has come and gone. And I ask myself, what did I do this week to make a difference? Nothing. I did, however get out of bed and continue to put one foot in front of the other. Why? Because I have faith...faith that God has a plan for me. I'm thankful for Easter weekend, to remind me why I keep pushing forward in faith. Why I live, love, and care. Because Christ lives, loves and cares. Because He cares, I care. I live to share His love. So that's what I'll do. I know Jesus Christ lives. That he has felt our pain, sorrow, loneliness, heart-ache and experienced our mistakes weaknesses and wrong-doings. He's there to lift us up. He conquered physical death, so we can all reunite with each other in the flesh when this life is through. I'm thankful for the plan God created, and I'm thankful the Savior was willing to make that plan possible. I know they both live.
              
                   That one was super long-winded and kind of jumped all over the place. But the overall message came from my heart.

4) The sun is shining, it's warm outside, I just climbed the hill by my house 5 times to get my heart pumping, my roommate just bought baby chicks (free-range eggs, baby!) and I bought tickets for an acoustic Sara Bareilles concert in May! Gooooood Friday!

                    I actually did post this one, and then took it down two minutes later. Again, I say...I have an internal battle about why I feel the need to consistently let everyone know what's on my mind.

I'm sure there were more...in fact, I'm pretty positive there were more brewing in my head, but these are all the ones I actually wrote out, and then deleted. Maybe we can chalk it up to me just being a writer? Wanting to be heard? Not having a companion to talk to? I don't know...but it's worth thinking about.

Thanks for listening. ;)

As a Post Script--after I posted this, I nearly deleted it. Because, once again...why? Why did I post it? But...whatever. It's a blog, and I write. So I'm leaving it. Ah...to be human.

Hi guys

Not much to write about lately.

I've actually nearly forgotten about the land of blogging. Which kind of makes me sad. But happy at the same time, because when I do remember, several blogs have finally been updated since the last time I checked. When I check frequently, it seems like no one is ever posting.

My soul is feeling a little weary right now. Life is making me tired. And I was recently, powerfully reminded of one of my biggest weaknesses...which is very humbling...and a bit draining.

I went from working in a job where people absolutely LOVED me to a job where people act like I don't exist. That's been rough. I've been there for a month...it's getting a little better though.

I go back and forth between enjoying being free and single to longing for companionship. My life is a roller coaster of emotions...but isn't every life a roller coaster? I'm nothing special there.

Things that make me happy...and things I'm thankful for lately include but are not limited to:

1) The steep hill I walk every day
2) Spring is here
3) I live in a cute house
4) I've kept my room clean for a week and a half...like legitimately clean. That's unheard of for me.
5) Free bus pass
6) Good roommates
7) SUPER yummy paleo recipes... I mean, seriously. I eat GOOD food.
8) Cooking
9) My niece, Perry
10) The big body of water I cross every day on my way to work
11) Dancing With The Stars
12) A ward where I consistently feel spiritually fed and uplifted
13) Prayer
14) A sister who takes me to Costco
15) This burger place Kayleen and I found called "A Burger Place"...haha. There's a checklist, and you mark everything you want on your burger. And you can get them lettuce wrapped. Kayleen and I get bacon, egg, avocado and every freaking veggie under the sun on ours. YUM.

Hope you all are happy and healthy.

Fat vs. Skinny

Watch this.


Now read the article that goes along with it: http://thinkprogress.org/media/2013/02/11/1573871/adele-kelly-clarkson-fox-weight/

I'm going to go on a rant here...please forgive me.

I find this article ridiculous. Partially because you can slap a suit and tie on a fat man, and hardly anyone says a thing about his weight.

The other thing that bugs me is, our fixation on the health of "fat" people. It drives me NUTS. The assumption that because a person is skinny, he/she is healthier than someone who is fatter...give me a freakin' break. I'm not just saying all this because I am a fat person. I've lost nearly 50 pounds and I'm still going. I understand the importance of being healthy and doing all I can to live a good, long, healthy life. And I'm not saying that people should just stay overweight, especially when it's affecting their ability to function, stay alive, do the things they need to do...so on and so forth. But I get so sick, SO freaking SICK of "overweight" women being the target of criticism.

The only way you can judge if someone's healthy is...oh wait, there really isn't a way. Not unless you have tons of equipment and can know a person's history and crunch all the numbers. Who gave you the right to look at someone, merely LOOK at someone, and presume to know their eating and exercise habits? Seriously, drives me insane.

I believe in taking care of your body. And I believe in being healthy. But do I believe that all the skinny people in America take care of their bodies...and make healthy choices? No. No, I don't. It's so stupid to make that assumption. The obvious, automatic assumption when you see a heavier person standing next to a skinny person is that the skinny person eats "healthier" (and we all have different ideas on what "healthy" is...) and that the skinny person exercises more. Let me just say, this idea is bogus. Seriously bogus.

I understand there's an obesity "epidemic" in America. I understand that there's more processed crap than ever before. I understand that we need to make people aware of health issues and the reality of the situation. But seriously. SERIOUSLY...we ALL need to hear these messages. All of us. Just because I'm an unlucky person, who struggles with weight MUCH more than the average Joe, and has to constantly, CONSTANTLY worry about the physical consequences of what I'm putting into my body, does not mean I deserve to be treated any differently from anyone else. If I choose to eat a piece of pizza, and my skinnier friend chooses to eat a piece of pizza, heck...we're both making the same choice, and I shouldn't be judged harsher just because I've got a little more meat on my bones.

Can you tell this topic gets under my skin?

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Argue with me. Please and thank you.