"The people I've met on this journey have given me a home; not a place or shelter necessarily, but where peace dwells inside of me" ~JW

So, I've been meaning to make this post for a while. I figure it's close to overdue, especially since the Meet Me Halfway Finale was this past weekend. Meet Me Halfway is a project that Jimmy Wayne began to raise awareness of the fact that too many youth — especially those who are aging out of the foster care system — are facing circumstances similar to those he faced when he was young.

Let me back up a minute and tell you a bit about Jimmy Wayne. He's a country music artist, and I've been a fan ever since I first heard his song Stay Gone in like... 2003? I saw Jimmy Wayne in concert last summer, and I knew of his history at the time, but hearing him talk about it made it that much more real. (And okay, maybe I cried a little at the concert, but really, between hearing him talk about it and the lyrics to some of his songs, it was a valid reaction.) Jimmy Wayne survived a turbulent, abusive childhood. His father abandoned the family. His mother went to prison, and Jimmy and his sister were shuttled to a series of foster homes. His stepfather tried to murder him. He was a homeless teen, living by his wits on the street, until he met the Costners, the couple that gave him a home and a family. They had first hired him to mow their lawn, and then offered him a place to stay, with the agreement that he would go back to high school. After high school, he worked in a textile mill and as a prison guard as he was working his way toward an associate degree in Criminal Justice before he ended up in Nashville. He spends a lot of time talking with and supporting foster children and homeless youth. One of the articles I read quoted him as saying that someday, he'd like to build an orphanage for kids who are too old to be adopted.

Earlier this year, Jimmy began a campaign called Meet Me Halfway. He would walk from Nashville, TN to Phoenix, AZ. The walk would be halfway across the country, he would find supporters who would "meet him halfway" by volunteering and helping to spread the word, and he would interview with media outlets to generate publicity and awareness of the issue. "Because I was helped when I needed it, I want to try and help now," Wayne said. "I'm not asking people to come out and walk with me, but I am asking them to meet me halfway by getting involved - donate money, adopt a kid, learn more about the foster child/foster parent program in your local community. There's so much one person can do, and so many ways they can make a difference. It just takes one person to help someone to a better life."

There are 463,000 American youth in foster care. Foster children don't have the option of staying with their families when they become adults. They don't have the emotional and financial support that most kids do. Most of them don't have the skills necessary to transition from foster care to independent living. More than 20% of young adults aging out of the system experience homelessness. As many as 3 in 10 of the nation's homeless adults have a history in foster care.

Obviously, a lot of people don't have the resources to be foster parents, but there are other ways you can help: financial donations, volunteering time or resources, getting involved in local community programs that help with foster care.

There is a list of national and state organizations that help with foster children on the Meet Me Halfway Website.

You can also Make a Financial Donation to Meet Me Halfway.

Or you can join an MMH Street Team and help spread the word about the project and the issue.

One person, one contribution, can make a difference in a child's life. If you want to find more information about the Meet Me Halfway organization, you can visit the website at http://projectmmh.org/.

March of Dimes / Relay for Life

I know that everyone is doing fundraiser stuff this time of year, but I am too, and I know that there is no better way to spread the word and get donations than the internet. Don’t feel like you have to donate, but if you can spare a few dollars and would like to, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am a captain for a March of Dimes team for a walk that is taking place on April 25th, and a walker for a Relay for Life team for a walk that is taking place on June 18th. For the March of Dimes event, both boys are also signed up to participate as walkers, so I’m actually just going to link to their donation pages. For the Relay for Life event, I’ll link you to my personal page.

I know the economy is tough right now, but as someone pointed out to me, babies don’t stop being born early just because we can’t afford them. The same with cancer; people don’t stop getting sick just because they can’t afford healthcare. Both these organizations do a lot to promote research and wellbeing. The money raised by the March for Babies goes to helping women have healthy, full-term pregnancies and funding research to find answers to the problems that face all babies. The money raised by Relay for Life goes to the American Cancer Society for help finding cures, helping people get well, and helping people stay well.

Again, don’t feel like you need to donate. I know that we all have other obligations and causes we personally support. However, if you are interested, here are the links:

Ronnie’s March of Dimes page:


Davey’s March of Dimes page:


My Relay for Life page:

Favorite New Songs of 2009

At the end of 2008, I made a post of my favorite albums of the year. This year, that was a little more difficult. I listened to such a wide mix of things this year, that I'm not even sure I have a favorite album. Except for The Used's Artwork, which I love. But my most listened to albums this year would be either The Lost Trailer's album from last summer or Luke Bryan's previous album or possibly even HOWL, which never strays far from my CD player.

Instead, I came up with a mix of my favorite songs that came out in 2009. This is the track listing as it was randomized by my iTunes, so they aren't in any particular order. also, I don't have the Gold Motel EP, so I can't include one of those songs, but GRETA! ♥ I know there is at least one of her songs that deserved to be included.

1. Weightless, off All Time Low's Nothing Personal. Okay, so I really, really dislike All Time Low, and I wouldn't mind never seeing them live again, but I love their music. And I really have liked this song ever since I heard it at the first BND date I went to in Dallas.

2. American Saturday Night, off Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night. I'm a huge Brad Paisley fan. I think everyone in this family is. And it's always hard for me to pick a favorite of his songs, but I really like this one.

3. I May Be Rude But I'm The Truth, off Cobra Starship's Hot Mess. I still muchly prefer the older stuff, but I like Hot Mess okay. &gabe;

4. Are You Blind?, off Drive A's Loss of Desire. I don't know that I ever would have listened to Drive A if they hadn't been on tour with The Used, but I think they're pretty adorable little babies. (also, I'm not sure "adorable" is the image they're going for, but I can't help thinking this. Seriously, they're so young!) This song is also known as the "going down" song, b/c I don't know the actual titles of any of their songs, lol.

5. Bang, by Empires. I love them immensely and, if you didn't know that, you apparently don't pay that much attention to me. Obviously, I mention it a lot on LJ, but I'm pretty sure I mention it plenty in my day-to-day life too. And if you don't have this song, you need to visit their website right the fuck now and download their music for free because they are made of awesome.

6. I Love Your Love The Most, off Eric Church's Carolina. Eric Church played an acoustic set at the Jefferson Center while I was in Texas. I was pretty sad I missed it.

7. Don't Think I Can't Love You, off Jake Owen's Easy Does It. Okay, so I almost put included Eight Second Ride instead, but I figured that was cheating because there was a version of that on one of Jake's other albums. So you get the love song instead.

8. Big Green Tractor, off Jason Aldean's Wide Open. Do yall even know how much I want to go see Jason Aldean in February?

9. Why Don't We Just Dance, off Josh Turner's Haywire. I absolutely love Josh Turner's voice, and this song is just catchy and dancey and addictive. Possibly should have been on the happy songs mix as well. :)

10. Do I, off Luke Bryan's Doin' My Thing. *happy sigh* Yall, I love Luke Bryan. And he's gonna be here next month with Jason Aldean! I really really really want to go to this concert.

11. New Perspective by Panic! at the Disco. This one didn't need an explanation on my LJ beyond "Brendon Urie." :P I love this song, and how different it feels from both AFYCSO and pretty. odd., and I like how Brendon felt the need to point out "that means blow job!" Also, I'm super excited to see what Brendon and Spencer have in store for us, musically, in 2010.

12. Simple Things off Rodney Atkins' It's America. Rodney Atkins songs always make me think "omg, that's our life." This one is definitely no exception.

13. I Hate Everyone, off Say Anything's self titled album. I hate everyone. What more is there to say? (also, this song will forever remind me of Stevie and Texas, so that's a bonus)

14. Everything Must Go, off Taking Back Sunday's New Again. Idk what it is about this song that I like, but I really, really do.

15. Born to Quit, off The Used's Artwork. Do you know how difficult it was to pick a favorite off this album? But the first time I listened to Artwork, this was my first favorite, so it was the one I stuck with.

16. Rain Falls Down, off We The Kings' Smile Kid. WTK is one of those bands that I love the boys more than the music, but this is possibly my favorite off the new album. I haven't listened enough to be able to tell.

Year in Review

Okay, I know this was the end-of-year meme, but we’re only two days into 2010, so it’s still totally acceptable, right?

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? lots of things.

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t know that I actually made any resolutions for 2009, but if I did, I’m sure I didn’t keep them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Does Shonna count? Um… my cousin’s wife Lisa, my cousin Courtney, Kristin. No one really “close” to me.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandma. And the supervisor from my previous job.

5. What countries did you visit? Narnia.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? more money, lol. more time for friends and family.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory? Um. I don’t know if there are any actual dates that stick out? I’m more likely to just remember events.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Graduating from National College and passing my CPC exam.

9. What was your biggest failure? hahaha, I fail at so many things, I wouldn’t even know how to pick the biggest.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Mental illness. Ugh, bipolar. But that’s an everyday thing. Um. I… had a few colds and complained miserably about them, but nothing really serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Concert tickets. And sometimes the plane tickets to go with them. Oh, and my crackberry.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?Mine. *g* Ohhh, and Wendy for graduating and becoming an official librarian. And I’m sure there are others, but that’s what comes to mind.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? ahahaha, Idk if I should say, especially since it was someone I considered for years to be a sister. Now, I’d rather not even claim to know her.

14. Where did most of your money go? Ronnie and Davey. Kids are expensive!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Concerts. Really! Plus the fangirl times; those were even more exciting than the concerts.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2009? Idk. I listen to such random stuff. The Used’s Artwork was my favorite album to come out this year, and I have a LOT of good memories associated with the album and the concerts and the friends I’ve made through being a fan, so I’m gonna go with that one. There are certain other songs that will be forever tied to events of 2009, though, like Ludo’s Lake Pontchartrain, or Panic! at the Disco’s New Perspective.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? happier.

ii. thinner or fatter? I would say fatter, but that’s b/c it’s my fat week. I actually think I’m about the same.

iii. richer or poorer? such an objective question. I am totally rich in friendships and love and all that jazz. As for money, I’m at a job that pays quite a bit more than the one I had last year, but I don’t actually seem to have any more money.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Um. I’m not big on regrets or wishing I’d done more of something, so I don’t really have an answer to this one.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? worried about bullshit I couldn’t change

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent Christmas Eve at work most of the day but came home and spent the evening with my kids, Mom, Harley, RT, Kristina, Haley, Joseph, and Tim. Christmas Day, I went to my Aunt Lettie’s house for more family time, then we came back to Salem and went to Pam’s to spend the evening with our other family (except for James & Holdon)

22. Did you fall in love in 2009? On a daily basis, with LJ friends and fictional characters and bands.

23. How many one night stands in this last year? Zilch. What kind of girl do you think I am? (don’t answer that)

24. What was your favorite TV program? I think Criminal Minds beat out Supernatural this year (I know, I’m a bad fangirl for even admitting it! But I’m not too jazzed about the whole apocalypse thing. Also, I have to say I’m going to be sad if the rumors about a sixth season of SPN are true, b/c from the beginning we’ve been planning on 5 seasons. I mean, I love my Winchesters, but it’s time.), and I was also pretty invested in Leverage (okay, I’ll admit I started watching just for the Christian Kane, but I love the show. Especially Parker; I’m pretty sure she’s my favorite.) and Psych. There are other things I watch but those are the biggest. (Also, I’ll admit to watching every episode of Phineas and Ferb, but don’t believe it if you hear I’ve been watching Jonas or the webisodes of Mackenzie Falls.)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I Hate Everyone! *g* No, really, I don’t hate anyone.

26. What was the best book you read? Shadow Magic! Lol. I read a number of books, but the only three that were actual published books and were memorable were Jim Butcher’s Turn Coat, Jaida & Dani’s Shadow Magic, and Sam Starbuck’s Nameless. I read plenty of LJ fic that was novel-length, if those count. (Thursdayverse!)

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Pass, this question is too difficult.

28. What did you want and get? Fangirl time! *g* I got to spend time in Texas TWICE this year, plus I got to go hang out in Ohio with Krystal and go to a concert in Baltimore with Maryatha. Good times. Plus, a new job.

29. What did you want and not get? a new laptop. Hurry up tax time! I’m suffering internet withdrawals!

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I was a little surprised about how much I did enjoy the movie, especially considering I hated that book so so much. Even though as a fan of book canon, there are still a number of things wrong or missing from the movie ‘verse. Also, Wolverine, Transformers, um… And I have good memories of the Hannah Montana Movie. I saw a gazillion kid movies. I really liked Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel for Dogs, Race to Witch Mountain. My Bloody Valentine, purely for the Jensen. Fast and Furious. Inkheart. Taken. 500 Days of Summer. Yeah, we watch a lot of movies, lol.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 29 and… I’m not sure we did anything? OH! (thank goodness for LJ archives, lol.) The weekend before my birthday (which was the weekend btwn my brother’s bday and mine, and also the day before I graduated), we had a family picnic at Garst Mill and had a fantastic time.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having my own bedroom, lol

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Jeans and tshirts and hoodies, have you met me?

34. What kept you sane? hahaha, who ever said I was sane? I’m medicated, there is a huge difference. Seriously, though, the answer to that would be my friends. Yall are the best.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most? that changes on a daily basis.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I make a point to never talk about politics on LJ.

37. Who did you miss? De, b/c she’s never around anymore. She’s got a JOB or something, idek. Um, Chael, b/c he hasn’t been around since the Australia fires. Jessie & Jon from RMG. I missed my baby brother while he was away at boot camp for the summer.

38. Who was the best new person you met? Everyone that I met this year is fabulous. I can’t remember if I was friends with Lesa prior to 2009 or not, but I did get to actually meet her (and a handful of other TX girls) when I was there in April. I finally got to meet Krystal in person in August, and Maryatha in October. And Stevie and her sister when I went to Texas again in November. I have also made a bunch of new friends on LJ, mostly due to fandom association of The Used. And Heather, Amy, and Britney from my new job.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. My ass is awesome so smile when you’re kissing it ;) Really, yall, I think the lesson is to not take anything to seriously, the have fun and live your life and be happy with who you are rather than be miserable trying to be someone others think you should be. There will always be someone out there that gets it and who will love and understand and support you unconditionally.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year? Oh, ain't it funny how it always seems / Time has a way of changin' all your dreams. (from Restless Heart’s Big Dreams in a Small Town)