Cradle Robbers

Is there some kind of sign on my forehead that makes old men think it's okay to ask me out? I'm talking older than my dad. It's happened twice in the last week and many times before that. I don't think I look older than I am. Is it some kind of vibe I'm putting out there?

A Thousand Miles Left to Go

I have stolen, Lord, let me give
I have left Your house a
fugitive
I have wandered in my own way
Squandered everything You gave
But my dying heart You saved and let me live

I have cursed the
air and clenched my fists
I have hungered for Your righteousness
I have
tried to walk the line
I drew between Your heart and mine
But You
forgive me every time the mark is missed

So take my broken
offering and make it whole
And set my feet upon the road that leads me home
Let me walk as one fixed upon the goal
Even though I've got a thousand
miles to go

I have sought Your grace in my defense
I have
plundered Your magnificence
Until my journey is complete
I pray the Lord
my soul to keep
That I might sow what I have reaped
From Your great love

As I struggle for Your hand
You use me in ways I can't
understand
You take this sinful man and renew me
Working through
me

This is a great song by Caedmon's Call. I heard it this morning as I was getting ready for church and was reminded of it again this evening during my QT. It was very appropriate. I was praying about all the things going on in my life, and all that I need, and all I would like the Lord to do for me and make happen. I began to realize that my prayer was full of me, myself, and I. This happens often where I end my prayer asking for forgiveness for not giving of myself enough... my offering is never all it should be. But PRAISE GOD that He doesn't need what I give Him. He uses my broken offering; He molds me and directs my steps, and keeps me on the path toward Him despite my inadequacies. This is the God I love and serve, the God who desires fellowship with me, loves me, and uses me, despite me never giving of myself enough - I never will be able to. Because what God has done for us is too great for anything I do to ever be enough. That's Grace. That's God's unfailing love. And as the last verse says, as I struggle for His hand, He uses me in ways I can't understand, He takes this sinful girl and renews me, working through me.

Amen to that!

And for a little visual stimulation, check out the sunset from my front porch:

Dr. Pepper and Guns N Roses

GO GET YOUR FREE DR. PEPPER!!!!

From FOXnews.com:

LOS ANGELES — Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.
The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.
Guns N' Beatles: Axl Rose and Paul McCartney Storm MySpace.
"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."
Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.
Dr Pepper is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

Generous Old Men

I have a theory. Whenever you're out with friends, scan the area and find a middle aged guy, about mid-life crisis age, preferably sitting with his wife (you don't need a creepy old man type), preferably with a few drinks in front of him, and make friends with that guy. Sit your group close enough to him where he can hear your conversations and throw in a few interactions. Almost guaranteed, he'll either pay for your entire evening or at least buy you an appetizer or a round of drinks.

My dad is this kind of guy - one of the many reasons I love him. He's the "cool uncle" or the "cool dad." He sits with all my friends, tells stories, gives life advice, everyone laughs - it's a good time for all. Anytime he would come visit us in college, guaranteed we'd have 20+ people come to dinner.

My dad and a huge group of friends in College Station.

Those are some of the best memories of my college experience - the weekend would cost him as much as a 2 week vacation, but everyone loved it! So anyways, back to the theory.

CASE IN POINT: Last night I went down to Seal Beach to meet up with Erica and Jason and some of the guys who fly with Jason... and their girlfriends.

Erica and Jason at The Getty. (Taken with my new camera, FYI. Amazing right?)

So we meet at O'Malley's.

O'Malley's on Main in Seal Beach, CA

We're all sitting at our table enjoying our evening. This man comes up to our table (enter "generous old man") and starts chumming around. He wants us to have a wonderful time that evening, and he wants to be the cause of it. Who am I to stand in his way? So I threw out there, "are you buying?" He says absolutely without hesitation and throws down a hundred dollar bill.

Ben Franklin.

So next time you go out, remember my theory. It's all about location placement. We were near the door in the same section as he. I'm sure he and his wife spent their evening talking about old times or remembering when they were our age, or thinking of their kids, or something along those lines that produced this longing within him to be apart of our gathering. They finished their meal, were on their way out, and had to pass our table. The temptation for him (and maybe the wine) was too strong for him to resist saying something to us on the way out. His wife is standing at the door. She's light heartedly laughing and shaking her head. She loves her husband for his generosity.

And so do we.

IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate

I LOVE THIS STUFF.

The Ragamuffin Gospel

I've always got about 10+ books that I'm reading simultaneously. During the course of this, a few books sometimes drop out and lose the attention they deserve. My mom bought me The Ragamuffin Gospel back in 2005, and I picked it up again to read today. It's incredible! I certainly didn't appreciate it enough the first time I read it. It's a wonderful reminder of God's GRACE. Brennan Manning unpacks God's grace to us, Ragamuffins, and portrays it in a way that leaves us, well, amazed. That's what God's grace is - amazing. I'm not finished with it yet, but I thought I'd share an excerpt from what I read today.

For grace proclaims the awesome truth that all is gift. All that is good is ours, not by right, but by the sheer bounty of a gracious God. While there is much we may have earned - our degree, our salary, our home and garden, and a good night's sleep - all this is possible only because we have been given so much: life itself, eyes to see and hands to touch, a mind to shape ideas, and a heart to beat with love. We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh. We have the power to believe where others deny, to hope where others despair, to love where others hurt. This and so much more is sheer gift; it is not reward for out faithfulness, our generous disposition, or our heroic life of prayer. Even our fidelity is a gift. "If we but turn to God," said St. Augustine, "that itself is a gift of God." My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.

I am reminded of the verse in Ephesians that says, "Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit." (2:8-9)

Halleluia!

Birthdays, Stars, and the Guitar

Okay, so I have a number of items to cover on the agenda today.

1. Yesterday was Alicia's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICIA!!!

2. Today is my mother's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!
3. Today is also Mary's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!!! 4. This weekend I went to the Getty Center in LA.


5. I met CORKY from Dancing with the Stars at the Getty. He was really nice. I wish that I had gotten him to dip me for the picture. That would have been awesome. Oh well.


6. I am learning to play I Shall Believe by Matt Brouwer on the guitar, which can be seen/heard here:



In doing this, I have added E minor to the list of chords that I know how to play. That list is now: Eminor, G, A, C, and D. Now when I say I know how to play these chords, I mean that I can transition easily between them. I actually know more than just these, but have not yet developed my skills enough to just naturally move my fingers there. This song, by the way, is incredible. 7. There are fires again in Southern California. I am not in danger, but please pray for the thousands that have been displaced.

It's a Sheryl Crow Christmas!

I love Sheryl Crow. This may be common knowledge, but she's possibly my favorite singer of all time. It's hard to give that position to someone because my mind changes often, but there's never been a Sheryl Crow CD that I haven't owned and loved. So you can imagine my excitement when I discover that she has released a Christmas CD!!! It's only available at Hallmark. I went there today, bought some cards (you have to buy 3 to get the discount on the CD) and got me some Sheryl. The CD player in my Jeep is broken so I drove around listening to it in my old school portable CD player and headphones. This was my first time of the year to be listening to Christmas music and I felt it was appropriate to start it out right with a little Sheryl Crow. And the CD did NOT disappoint! It's fabulous. She starts out with an excellent soulful version of Go Tell it on the Mountain. I swear if I could sing alone in front of people, I would be at the church convincing the music minster to let me sing this version of the song solo during the Christmas service. I bet ya it would be a big hit! I was driving through the Valley just belting it out - good times :) The rest of the CD is great as well. There are a couple of songs that I've never heard before that were equally wonderful. So that's my CD review. I am probably a bit biased because I am such a Sheryl Crow fan so keep that in mind if you go check it out! You can actually listen to the songs here: SHERYLCROW

Enjoy!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit,

RB

The Road Calls

TOFURKY

TOFURKY??? Are you kidding me?

My new favorite grocery store to shop in is Trader Joes. If you are unfamiliar, it's a small grocery store with several locations throughout the US, but headquartered here in SoCal. It's a "neighborhood" type grocery store. They buy direct from the suppliers and brand their own products. So instead of buying Kellogg's Corn Flakes, you'll buy Trader Joe's corn flakes. I think it's the coolest thing ever. Most of the food is all-natural/organic... so kind of like Whole Foods but not over-priced. OKay, TJ plug over.

So anyway, everyday for lunch, I go into my neighborhood Trader Joes and buy a Chicken Caesar Salad and a bottle of water for lunch. I end up paying $3.99 for my entire lunch - fantastic. Well, I was in there today and the girl at the checkout counter proceeds to tell me all about "TOFURKY." Tofurky is creatively crafted from a revolutionary tofu-wheat protein blend, carefully seasoned, and 100% vegan. It "rightly mimics the real thing."

Are you kidding me??

I smiled and nodded along as she told me all about the amazingness of this years Tofurky, while acting like it was revolutionary - you know, just being polite. Trying to find interesting that which she is so passionate about. But then she straight up asks me, "So you think you might give it a try this Thanksgiving?!"

I was like, "um, ... no, probably not. I look forward to eating the real thing on Thanksgiving all year long. I'm pretty fond of real turkey." She laughed kind of awkwardly and said, "You're like 'Nah I like grease!' " I just smiled and laughed and went on my way. But I was like GREASE? Seriously? Thanksgiving is TURKEY DAY! Not Tofurkey Day. Eating Tofurkey on TURKEY DAY would be like buying only a salad at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Or like driving 12 hours to the beach, only to spend your entire time in the swimming pool next to the ocean.

In Loving Memory

In Loving Memory of Bear Burton

My dear Shetland Sheepdog, Bear, passed away today. She was old. I named her Bear back when I thought I was going to go to Baylor. I won't rehash all of the fun times Bear and I had together, riding the four-wheeler through the pasture and playing fetch in the front yard. But I will tell you one final story about dear old Bear. (as told by my father, as Bear is still at home in Texas)

I'll try to be as tactful as possible.

So we knew Bear's time was coming. She hasn't been able to eat for a few days. But last week, a ... stranger .... visited Bear, another male dog, and well.... there was a .... rendezvous. So my dad's telling me this, and he says, matter of factly

"so at least she went out with a bang."

Famous People

So, as I am residing here in LA, people from back home always ask me if I ever see famous people.

Why yes I do!

Here is a listing of all those that I have seen and/or spoken to. And it must be said, I don't act like a crazed fan and run up to them and ask them for an autograph. Although I did follow Macy Gray into a bathroom.

First celebrity spotting: Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard, while filming The Riches in Santa Clarita, CA. I drove by the location a few times until I saw them. This was shortly after moving to LA and I was desperate to see someone famous.

Then I was with Kayde and Heather in a 7-11 in Beverly Hills and Chris Cooper checks out right in front of me!

Shortly thereafter, I met Tom Green and Will Sasso at Firefly in Burbank. Will Sasso wasn't very nice and Tom Green was weird, but friendly. I asked if he wanted my autograph - not the other way around. He said he did, so I gave it to him.

And the next day, I met Macy Gray in a bathroom at a Sushi Bar. And yes, I followed her in there, hoping to talk to her. We talked about the sushi. It was great. You might even call us BFF.

Then, I saw Tracy Gold in an Office Max in Santa Clarita. She had her boys with her who were making a lot of noise. I looked at her to smile, as if to say, "it's okay, boys will be boys, and they're not bothering me." But my expression actually went more like, "OMG You're Tracy Gold and I used to watch you on TV everyday growing up." I of course didn't say this but it was written all over my face.

And then, Jessica Lucas, from Cloverfield and 90210 walked into Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood on the arm of LA Dodger James Loney of Houston, TX. He was getting a bit more attention than she. All of the men in the room gathered around James to get his picture while Jessica moved off to the side. We exchanged a smile, and I thought, just wait until 90210 takes off. That will be you shortly.

That same night, Wilmer Valderrama, aka FEZ from That 70s Show, came into Lucky Strike. I actually did go up to him to get a picture with him. That was my one fanatic moment. And here is the picture:

And recently, I attended a Ryan Bingham concert at The Topanga Roadhouse and met Ryan Kwanten. I actually chatted it up with him all night. He's most famous for his work on True Blood on HBO, but I recognized him from Summerland. You may also recognize him from Flicka. He was super nice, and yall know how much I love an Australian accent.

Just a side not, I hung out with another famous guy that night and I have yet to find out what he is on. I know it's something on Showtime, which I do not have. As soon as I figure it out, I'll let ya know.

And finally, I was at Barney's Beanery in Hollywood recently and spotted Chris from Kid and Play. He no longer has the huge afro.

That's all I can remember now. I will update as I spot more.

Rubbing Elbows with the Rich and Famous,

Miranda Elizabeth Burton

The Show Me State

Who can name "The Show Me State"?




It's Missouri!!

Why you ask?
I'll tell you.

I was driving along today listening to Sara Evans on my mp3 player. She was singing a song called "Missing Missouri." The chorus goes:

I'm caught up in missing Missouri

Cause I wanna be with my family
Instead of stuck out on this road I'm on
Everytime my bus wheels hit the bootheel
There's no limelight and I'm alright
'Cause I'm almost home
Where they love me,
where they know me

Where they show me

back in Missouri

And I was a bit curious as to what she meant when she said "where they show me." Of course I didn't give it too much thought at the time. But then later in the day, a car drove by with Missouri plates:

It then connected with me as to why Sara Evans says Missouri is "where they show me."


SHOW ME WHAT???


So I text messaged my good friend Travis who lives in St. Louis. Travis is usually full of knowledge, useful and otherwise, so I thought he might know.
This is Travis and I in the Angeles Crest National Forest after bungee jumping in LA:


But, alas, Travis did not know why Missouri is the Show-Me State. I thought this was unsatisfactory. A Missourian ought to be able to tell you why their state is what it is, like I can tell you why Texas is THE LONE STAR STATE and why California is The Golden State.

He suggested that I look it up and then blog about it. So that's what I am doing!


And here is the answer taken straight from Wikipedia:


The phrase "I'm from Missouri" means I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced. This is related to the state's motto of "Show Me," whose origin is popularly ascribed to an 1899 speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver, who declared that "I come from a country that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me." However, according to researchers, the phrase was in circulation earlier in the 1890s. According to another story, the phrase was originally a reference to Missouri laborers being brought to Colorado to quell a miner's strike and requiring frequent instruction.

So as it turns out, the answer is not all that exciting. But if I am ever talking to a native Missourian, I'll know not to be impatient if they don't understand what I'm trying to explain; I'll just have to figure out a way to show them.

And in case that wasn't interesting enough to you, Missouri is also home of the world's largest pecan. Here I'll show you:

Signing off,

RBB

To Blog or Not to Blog

To blog or not to blog. That is the question. First it was MySpace. Then Facebook. I'm attached at the hip (literally) with my BlackBerry. And now I'm blogging. I can't seem to escape the pattern. Next I'll be walking around town with headphones on listening to the latest Indie music on my iPod. No. I'm refusing to buy an iPod....besides, my Dell mp3 player works just fine.

Okay, I've ranted enough. Who knows if I'll be able to keep this up. But many back in Tejas keep requesting to see pictures, I just bought a new camera, and this seems like the perfect avenue to recount my adventures in California.

So count me in. I'm joining countless others of my generation and entering into the world of blogging. Besides, I suppose the world could benefit from my thoughts. They're too great to keep them to myself.

You know you love me. XOXO
Gossip Girl (I couldn't resist)