Happy Birthday Dad!!!

THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE

To my dear old Papa
On your fifty-third
I'd like to write a poem
One you haven't heard

I take after you
In honoring those I love
I write poems that are so good
You'd think they came from above

I know how it sounds
Like arrogance from me
To say my poems
Are almost heavenly

But I give credit
Where credit is due
Because the way that I write
I learned from you

Each and every year
When January rolls around
A new candle on your cake
Can always be found

I take wise words
From a man named McCrae
I know advice from him
Would aptly make your day

These words to you
May seem somewhat basic
But "The older the violin
The sweeter the music"
(it's hard to rhyme with music)

So here's a post on my blog
Solely for you
Wishing you Happy Happy Birthday
On January Twenty-Two

And if you get down
When you start to feel the toll
Of years gone by
And you realize you're getting old

Just reflect back to the days
When you were young and pretty
When the ***** wouldn't leave you alone
And your daughter wasn't so witty

The Raconteurs

I am loving the Raconteurs!

The band consists of Jack White (The White Stripes), Brendan Benson, and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler (both of the Greenhornes). I've always been a fan of Jack White when he's doing country/bluegrass music. He produced one of my favorite albums - Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose. Here he is again, now on CMT, performing my favorite Raconteurs song, Old Enough, with Ricky Skaggs (Bluegrass LEGEND) and Ashley Monroe (who I got to see perform at the Grand Ole Opry!). This is a sweet song; and therefore, I feel, worthy of your attention and worthy of my first blog post of 2009.

Raconteurs
 
More CMT Music
 
More CMT Music Videos

And if you liked this, check out The Raconteur's lastest CD - Consolers of the Lonely.

Just having a little fun

I know what you're thinking. I look familiar. Perhaps you know me from..... ... my recent movie.

...David Beckham's new tattoo.


... my Oscar win.

... my sidewalk art.

...or my pop art.

Snow at the Beach!

I've been complaining about how hot it is out here. I haven't even needed a jacket.... until now :)

I am Second

Alright, you have to check out this website. If you watch any of the videos, I would suggest Jason Castro. He is an Aggie afterall. And gorgeous. But not to take away from the site - it's a great idea. I wish I had thought of it. Dangit.

http://www.iamsecond.com/

I'm Miranda Elizabeth Burton. And I am second.

Okay so I blogged about this site earlier in the evening, and I have to come back and talk about it some more. I don't think I did it enough justice.

From their website:
I am Second is a movement where significance in life is a shared value among people of all kinds. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Your next door neighbor. People just like you… I am Second is designed to help people discover their purpose in life.

From a creative/business perspective, I think it's absolutely amazing. I would love to be apart of something like this.

So if you didn't check it out the first time I mentioned it, go look at it now!

Martina and Elvis

ME and the King.

My favorite video of this Christmas season! Enjoy!

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.