Oh My Beautiful

I was completely blown away by tonight's sunset and just had to share. There have been no edits to these pictures, this is nothing more than raw beauty at its finest.

Moved by Music

I write about music a lot. I'm a sucker for lyrics so beautifully written and powerful that they can move you to tears. Music is an art. Lyrics, tempo, pitch can be intentionally manipulated to stir emotion and the results can be astounding. Music is poetry that can speak to all senses, evoking memories that have been locked away for years and seemingly forgotten. 

We all have certain songs that speak to us. One of mine is Other Side by Anne Murray. Whenever I find myself full of doubt or struggling, I turn to this song and it reminds me of the strength that each and every one of us carry within - that challenges in life are only temporary. Because this song has touched me so, I thought I would share it with you. I hope it inspires you as much as it has me throughout the years.

Two other beautifully written songs are Sometime Around Midnight and The Graveyard Near the House by Airborne Toxic Event. I actually wrote an essay on why Sometime Around Midnight to me, is art. The use of symphony in instrumentation, lyrics, tempo - everything was put together so well that the song speaks. The Graveyard Near the House is just beautifully written. I have the video's posted on this blog http://amandalynnu.blogspot.com/2013/06/poetry-in-music.html

What song(s) speak to you?

The Small Things

"When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator." - Mahatma Gandhi

I took these pictures tonight and just had to share. I love how the cat is sitting there enjoying the sunset right along with me. I guess some beauty is so profound that it universally touches all of God's creatures. What a beautiful night.

The Clothes (May) Make the Wo(man)

I'm almost finished with my Research Methods in Psychology class and a semester long experiment/research paper. The experiment is based around how clothing affects the way we feel about ourselves, as well as how it affects other people's perceptions of us. The experiment has been fun, the results section however, has been a nightmare. Statistics are not my strong point. 


I went to bed last night relieved that after hours of writing and testing, I was finally 90% done with this project. I woke up to an email sent by my professor at 1:00 in the morning basically telling me that my statistics were written in an incorrect format and that I needed to redo the entire section. Sigh.....back to the drawing board. In the meantime, let's talk about clothing and style.


I love clothes. I don't necessarily have the budget to afford to dress the way I would like to (but that doesn't stop me from buying less expensive options, probably more often than I should). When I do have money, I prefer to spend it on vacations, but I love fashion nonetheless, always have. If I were to describe my style, I would have to say it is feminine, classic, a little preppy and on the formal side. I'm definitely conservative and I love to be dressed up. I think I may own two t-shirts. These are a few of my favorite looks:

I want that chain necklace and those shoes!

I'm a big fan of blazers, scarves, floral print and anything Tory Burch. I'll admit, I know all of my labels and I can often eye a certain designer's piece on the red carpet without it being announced. I was born with a rich woman's taste and a budget that doesn't match. 


Rachel Zoe is quoted as saying, "Style is a way of saying who you are without having to speak." I couldn't agree more. I believe that style is one of the greatest ways to express one's self. I also believe it has a significant influence on the way we feel about ourselves internally, especially as women. When we feel beautiful, it radiates and others pick up on that. Evidence has also supported that attire may even affect our cognitive thought processes (Hubka, M. (2012). Enclothed cognition - Does how you dress alter your approach and interaction?)! So far, the results of my experiment are pretty much on par with these thoughts. I'll have to do a follow up on the final product later. If you're interested, check out my fashion board on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/mandylynn323/fashion/   


How important are clothes to you? What is your style, if you have one? How does appearance impact how you feel?

Meat n' Potatoes

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." - George Bernard Shaw

I LOVE food. Much to my husband's chagrin, I do NOT love to cook. However, with the invention of my favorite web site, Pinterest, I have been venturing out of my disdain for touching raw meat and have managed to make some pretty good dishes. Though I try to make healthier options for Seif, I am also lacking in love for health food, so a great deal of the time I am prone to hearing long sighs when my husband walks through the door to find that I have cooked hearty macaroni and cheese for dinner.

I LOVE macaroni and cheese, but you know what I love more? Mashed potatoes. I am known amongst friends and my in laws as the "Queen of Mashed Potatoes." Because it's basically my staple food, I can make the creamiest, most flavorful potatoes you have ever tasted. Every time I go to Jordan my sister in law assigns me to mashed potatoes. I got assigned to mashed potatoes this year for Thanksgiving. My health nut friends who only eat rabbit food can't even resist them - I really am the queen.:)

We all have our favorite foods and this is definitely mine. I eat them all the time, sometimes with sides, sometimes without. As much as I would like to fall in love with health food, I can't help it, I'm a meat and mostly potatoes kind of girl.

What is your favorite food? Either to eat or prepare. Does it just taste great or does it have other associations?

Looking Back, We Laugh

Al Kerak Castle, Jordan

"When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home." - Thornton Wilder

I can attest to this. Anyone who knows me also knows that I have the heart of a traveler. I love adventure. I am fearless when it comes to traveling and will go just about anywhere, and do just about anything. Obviously, this taste for adventure has given my parents many palpitations over the years, but they know it makes me happy, so generally they give me their blessings.

This quotation reminds me of the first time I traveled to Jordan. I was so excited to go there, even with all of the negative comments I heard from others about traveling to the Middle East. After all, this is where the magnificent Petra is located. This is the home of many Roman, Christian and Islamic ruins. This is also where the biblical River Jordan is located.

Jerash,Jordan

I was not let down. I fell in love with Jordan - the people, the culture, the food. However, on one sunny day my husband and I decided to go on an adventure to a small town called Karak to see an old crusader castle. We convinced his cousin and sister to come along with us and boarded a bus to head out of town. Once we got there, we were told that we had to be back at the bus stop no later than 4:00, otherwise no one would be willing to drive us back to Amman. You see, fares are cheap there and Amman being a long distance away without a fair amount of passengers really doesn't amount to much money for the driver.

We had a grand time touring the castle. We had no tour guide and were the only ones there. We pretty much roamed around and did our thing - a true adventure. We made sure to be back at the bus stop by 4:00 as suggested. However, when we got there we were told that there was not enough people as predicted, and that no one wanted to take us back. One guy did not agree with leaving us stranded and started yelling at all of the 20+ bus drivers to take us to Amman. A huge fight broke out amongst them and they literally took off their belts and started whipping each other! Out of nowhere, some crazy guy pulls up playing the weirdest music I have ever heard and whips out a machete. I have no idea what was said, but no one got hurt. Eventually more people showed up that needed to go back to Amman, including a police officer, so at that point, we felt a little more safe.

While waiting in the bus as the drivers continued to argue, the weird machete man walked around and banged on our windows, pulling crazy faces. He then told my sister in law to convince my husband and his cousin to go back to his house for lunch. I was beyond freaked out at this point, but tried to keep my cool to avoid further spectacle.

Petra, Jordan

After what seemed like forever, our bus departed and we assumed we were in the clear, especially with a police officer on board.....not so much. Our bus broke down literally in the middle of the desert. No one could figure out what was wrong and instead of staying around to protect us, the police officer hitch hiked himself a ride out of dodge.

As luck had it, the bus was eventually repaired and we made it home. However, this was definitely a day I will not forget and goes down as one of the scariest experiences I have had while traveling. (I was also followed and almost mugged in France, but that's a different story for a different day)

I do want to put a disclosure out there - this incident is not the norm in Jordan. I know there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding this culture and I can honestly say, I have been there 4 times now and the people there are amazing. I love it. Just as we have insane incidences in the states, the same holds true for other countries.

So yes, this is my story. Though not so funny at the time, we get a good laugh out of it now, especially when we try to imitate the machete man who wanted to eat my husband for lunch;)

Can you recall a time when you felt unsafe?

Mixing it Up

To make this thing a little more interesting, I'm going to start following a blog prompt. The truth is, I get caught up in daily life and a great deal of the time I neglect to post on here. This should keep me going.

So...today's topic

On the interview show Inside the Actors’ Studio, host James Lipton asks each of his guests the same ten questions. What are your responses? 

1. What is your favorite word? Elite. I don't know why really...it's not the meaning of the word, I just like the way it sounds.
2. What is your least favorite word? Fiduciary. I hate that word, don't know why, but it makes my skin crawl.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Music definitely turns me on spiritually, creatively and emotionally. I love music and it evokes every kind of emotion in me. It inspires me. Witnessing or participating in acts of kindness inspire me in all of these areas as well. Spiritually, other than music, nature, beauty of all kinds, and as weird as it may sound, the solar system. I am obsessed with space...it baffles me and while the vastness of the unknown may lead some to question the existence of a higher power, it only makes me believe. Let's not forget prayer. I don't go to church, but I pray every single day without fail. 
4. What turns you off? More than anything, rudeness turns me off. There is no need for it and I have zero tolerance for it - not just rudeness toward me, but rudeness toward anyone. I'm a quiet person, but nothing will bring me out of my shell faster than rudeness. Ignorant, political propaganda turns me off. I wish people would fact check before sharing it. I don't care what party you belong to. This is one of the reasons I abandoned Facebook. Racism, discrimination, and animal abuse - enough said. 
5. What is your favorite curse word? I feel so weird admitting this because I like to consider myself a lady .... but although I next to never use the word, it is indeed, the F word (only to be used when I am beyond mad).
6. What sound or noise do you love? I love the sound of rain, the ocean, leaves crunching underneath my feet and the sound of tires driving on gravel. 
7. What sound or noise do you hate? The alarm clock and when people whistle through their teeth. 
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I'd love to work for NASA but alas, I didn't finish college when I should have (long story) and at 33, am just barely finishing. I think I'll take a stab at Occupational Therapy first. Maybe I'll master astrophysics in my next life.;)  
9. What profession would you not like to do? After working 7 years in a law firm, I can most definitely say that I would not want to be a lawyer, although I would definitely be good at it.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? You served me well. Welcome home.

New Adventures Await

If you read my last post then you know we were down to the wire on finding a place to live. I was starting to get worried because every place we were interested in was rented out before we could request it (oh, the joys of house hunting in Southern California). BUT-literally days before we were supposed to be out of our previous place, I stumbled upon a listing for a rental on the beach. I knew better than to get my hopes up, but we immediately called on it and made an appointment for a viewing that night. Wouldn't you know, we LOVED it. It is literally right on the beach with an ocean front view. We were the first ones there, requested it, and got it! I am in Heaven. This is our view:

Now, if we could only accomplish this:

Baby steps, right? Our neighbors are extremely nice and came over to introduce themselves right after we moved in. I really like the vibe around here. This is exactly what we had hoped for and I couldn't be happier. As for Cooper, he's adjusting...my poor little cat isn't as excited about beach living as we are. He's been hiding under the bed for days.

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can't.” 

-Christopher Paolini, Eragon