ABOUT:

This used to be Amber's personal site, but some really cool people have joined her and she moved her own site somewhere else. Now you'll get to hear the thoughts and musings of a diverse group...you may cry a little, hopefully you'll laugh a little, and you definitely should participate a little (or a lot).

(More info coming soon.)

Looking for Amber's blog? Shoot her an email at amber @ muddyart dot com.

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I am so incredibly happy! I've had a smile on my face all day. I really have nothing to smile about, to the outside observer. In fact, things really kind of suck and I could probably justify being really depressed, and not too many people would fault me for it. But I remembered something this weekend. I have a reason to be joyful and it's amazing! There's this work that God's been doing in my heart...and it all seems to be coming together now. I would write more about it now but I think I'm going to go roll around in the snow for a while. Besides, these other writers need to start making their marks here more often so I don't have to keep up with two sites every day (not that I've actually been updating every day...).
posted by amber at 1:56 PM

 
I’m going to buy roller blades this weekend. I haven’t gone skating for about 4 or 5 years, since I outgrew my last pair of blades, and I was thinking today about how much I miss it. I used to play roller hockey when I was in high school. Can you imagine me playing hockey? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But I loved it. There was a park right by my house with a basketball court, which served as our hockey rink when we weren’t playing ball. The guys in the neighborhood got me hooked on it. We went out and bought sticks, balls, pucks, and a minimal number of pads. I even played goalie a lot, which they got a real kick out of because I was the only girl. Basketball was really my game, though. I was always the only girl (again) but man, I loved to play. I don’t think I was ever very good at defense but the guys started calling me “Dead Aim Amber” because my shot was always right on. So, I became their secret weapon when new kids would show up…I would just sort of stand around and act like I didn’t know what I was doing or like I was afraid to break a nail, and then they’d toss me the ball and I’d sink a three pointer. The look on boy’s faces when they’ve just been beat by a girl is always priceless. ;-)

So, I’ve always hung out with the guys. (There really is a point to this rambling…somewhere.) I didn’t want to just sit around with the girls, talking about the boys and painting my nails. I wasn’t that kind of girl. (I’m still not.) But in the course of playing basketball and joking around with the guys, I always became their best friend. I couldn’t even count the number of phone calls I got from my guy friends in high school, begging me to help them fix a girl problem or set them up with one of my friends. They all said I was their go-to girl. Need a new shirt to wear for the big date? Take Amber to the mall and pick one out. Need to know what the girl’s body language meant in Science Class? Amber will know, she’s a girl. Need to know her favorite flowers? Ask Amber. Heck, Amber will even order them for you.

I’m not complaining. All of these friendships were blessings (well, most of them) and I had a blast with the guys. There just comes a time when I want to stop being the go-to girl and start being the girl.

Does that make sense?

I'm honestly not thinking about love all the time or anything...I don't know where these love posts have been coming from all of a sudden. There isn't even anyone in my life right now that I would consider as a dating prospect. Just the dream of someone, not to steal a cheesy line from You've Got Mail. What am I saying? I love You've Got Mail. I'll proudly steal a cheesy line. Now set me up on a blind date where I can bring a book and a rose so he'll know who I am. (Not really...blind dates scare me.)
posted by amber at 10:30 PM

 
I was supposed to have been moved and finishing school by now but, after taking the Supervisor position at work, I decided to stay a bit longer and save up some money. Now everything's clouded in my mind. Where and when to go. Beginning again at a University and taking classes at normal hours. Leaving a good paying job. To work on campus or off campus. To be able to pay bills once I move. But the bliss...oh, the bliss when I get out of this place.

I've been getting a lot of emails and phone calls lately from friends who are graduating soon and feeling nervous about their future. They're looking for jobs, completely out on their own for the first time, and leaving everything that's become familiar to them over the last 4 or 5 years. And then there's me...in a way, I'm going through those exact same things, except I'm back at the beginning of the college process after having worked full time and taken night or Internet courses for so long. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I do have the fear that I'll get into it again and not be disciplined but it's definitely what I need, I'm sure.

I just wish everything would make sense.
posted by amber at 12:08 AM

 
My friend Kelly was in a car accident today and it was pretty bad. Their insurance won't pay for it and so they are going to have to pay to fix her car and the car of the other person in the accident. She's feeling a little overwhelmed, to say the least. Please pray for her.
posted by amber at 10:25 PM

 
I'm sure you've all seen them...commercials that feature restaurants criticizing one another. They both claim that they make their food from "scratch". This, of course, makes their food of higher quality.

Scratch.

Now, I'm not going to pretend to understand exactly what "scratch" means when it comes to food preparation. I'm not going to pretend that I know how it makes food better. What I am going to do is throw up if I ever go to a restaurant and, right after the food has just been placed in front of me, the server tells me that this has been made from scratch. You see, when I think of the words "scratch" and "food" being in the same sentence I instantly think of words like gross, disgusting, unprofessional, Department of Health violation. I picture the cook in the back preparing my food. He's cooking the meat...he throws in some spices...he scratches...throws in some more ingredients...and scratches some more. He then goes to hand toss my bread rolls. Before rolling the dough, he makes sure to scratch for a little while...giving his food that extra special touch. After the food has been placed on the plate, the cook takes one last look at his creation. Something is missing, he thinks. He scratches as he thinks of what must be done to make this a work of art. Ah-ha! He sprinkles cheese with his hands over his creation. Perfect! A great meal...made from "scratch"! Yuck!
posted by Kyle at 11:09 PM

 
Allow me to quickly introduce you to the writers at Muddy Art…

Jenn: She’s our resident Southern Belle. She loves frilly girlie things, has a lipstick fetish, and loves a good sour gummy worm. Jenn’s an only child, plays the flute and piano, sings, appreciates good music, and I knew she was a kindred spirit within a few days of talking to her. Ask her to tell you a story sometime. They’re always interesting...or gross. ;-)

Jamie: She recently became the proud mom of the most adorable little girl on the face of the earth. I’ll post pictures soon to prove it. Pre-baby days, we had some good road trips together, went to the first One Day together, and jammed together many times…er, maybe I should say that I mostly watched in awe as she picked out any tune we named and held my guitar, wishing I could play half as well.

Kyle: He’s our resident cynic. We will definitely be hearing a different point of view coming from Kyle’s fingers on most topics, but it will certainly keep things interesting. He’s my compadre, movie buddy, and a very talented artist. We laugh a lot. Look out, though…he’ll steal your yawns like a thief in the night. Just when I overcome one sound, he comes up with another. Mickey Mouse should not be used for such evil. Punk. (But I love him anyway...be devoted to one another in brotherly love.)

Me: I don't feel like writing about myself. Somebody else can if they want to. Otherwise, I'm sure you know plenty about me if you've been around here for a while, and I'm sure you're sick of me by now.

I'll put up an official Bios page and such soon. Just thought you may want to know a bit about the people whose posts you're reading in the meantime.
posted by amber at 9:03 PM

 
Moving on is hard to do, perhaps even the hardest thing for us to do. Our hearts become invested in someone or something, we become attached, and then if that attachment is broken in one way or another, we literally feel as though our heart will crumble to pieces from the pain. It's a natural cycle and, while I wish I could say it only happens up until a certain age when people become mature enough to not stomp all over other's hearts, it will happen again and again and again and again in our lifetime.

The good news is that hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I've had my heart broken a good number of times. The most recent was probably the hardest I've faced so far, perhaps because it is in fact the most recent and, therefore, the closest to my heart tonight, but I do think it would win the award hands down if I had to line them all up and compare. I didn't think it would be possible to see good come of it; It was too cruel and didn't make sense. But after a while, as the pain lessened and I was able to look back, I could say that it was the best thing for me. The breaking of that attachment was exactly what I needed. I can say now that this person was not good for my life and the ties should have been broken long before they actually were.

God really can take what someone else intended for harm and turn it into good. And, when we feel that there's a void from whatever thing has suddenly been ripped from our lives, He fills it up...with Himself, with new, sweet friendships, with lessons learned. If you've had your heart broken recently, hang on. Hindsight really is a blessing.
posted by amber at 12:19 PM

 
Yesterday, I woke up and stumbled through my room. I immediately brushed my teeth and slowly applied some lipstick. This came up in a conversation yesterday and so I watched myself today. It never failed...the minute my lips felt dry- I reached for a lipgloss tube or lipstick.

I can say for certain that I don't require a bright red at all times. In fact, that may be too bright in the mornings. Especially with bed head and pjs. Bath and Body Works offers several flavors that taste as good as they look. Maybe that's why I have to keep applying it.

The underlying concern is that I am addicted to shiny lips. Is this something I need to worry about?
posted by Jenn at 6:45 PM

 
Here goes my posting on the famed "muddy art"
It's wierd what a child can do a person. I've never been much of a rhyming person. In fact, I thought that was just some talent I would never have. My husband can do it with no problem, and can write songs left and right(even though they're corny songs, at least he can rhyme!) So yesterday as I was driving with my daughter(two months old and precious), I saw a man crossing the street in front of us, and said to her(ok, I know she can't talk, but I love talking to her): "Caitlin, I just saw a man who looked like a turtle." Then my wheels started turning, and before you know it, I had a little lymeric in my head(if that's what you would call it, and if that's even how you spell it!)
I once saw a man who looked like a turtle
His face was red and lips were purple
His hair was gray and his beard the same way
And he'd spin all around in a circle
With that, I say, a child can really change you...even if it's just your language that they change. :-)
(disclaimer: The man did not look that way...it was only for rhyming purposes)
posted by Jamielynn at 8:58 AM

 
Here's the first post of the new Muddy Art. Hopefully some of my compadres will come behind me and post something much more profound to christen the site. I don't feel much like posting the obligatory introduction tonight so I'll just sum it up quickly: It's a group blog, with cool people (if you want to write here, shoot me an email), their thoughts on anything and everything in life, and hopefully you, the reader, interacting and getting some good discussions going. It's...muddy art.

Who would've thought that my first post here would be about love, and this close to Valentine's Day? Certainly not I, and probably not anyone who knows me either. But this is to prove that I'm human, too, and I actually do think about love and wonder if I'll ever find "the one", despite what everyone says about me being so content to be single and not pining over that special someone.

I came home after a long day and decided to sink into a bubble bath in my parent's whirlpool tub. A hot bath is a glorious thing, especially when it's in a massive tub with jets. I was letting my worries float away with the "melon with a twist of kiwi" bubbles when the thought struck me, "I think I can see why couples would get really excited about having a whirlpool tub in their bathroom...It's probably pretty romantic to take a bubble bath together, with jets roaring and bubbles soaring..." From there, my thoughts turned to marrying a wonderful guy someday and being able to share that with him. Pretty corny, eh? It wasn't lustful or anything. Really. I wasn't picturing myself with anyone in particular...just the dream of having someone who that would be special with. So, I told God that whoever He gave me would have to like bubble baths, and then I dozed off.

So, you see, I feel sorry for myself some days and wonder if I'll ever meet the man who will hold me, laugh with me, cry with me, miss me when I'm gone, adore me when I'm there, and soap up with me in a whirlpool tub...But I always manage to remember that it will come in time and I honestly am so incredibly thankful for my singleness at the moment. I know there's so much more I need to do before I can get married. There's so much more I want to do. I need to move, I need to finish school, I need to wander the earth for a while, I need to figure out who I am alone before I can move on to figuring out who I am with someone else.

I will tell you how much I hate Valentine's Day, but it's not because I don't have a special love to share it with. It's because I hate how much money people go out and spend to tell someone they love them on one stinking day just because someone declared it a holiday a long time ago. I'm all about random acts of affection, sending flowers or candy or a sweet little note out of the blue just to let someone know that you love them. But not on February 14th just because that's the day you're expected to do it. But I digress...

I have my moments of wondering if I'm going to end up an old maid and praying that God doesn't forget me, but they never last very long. He's the only one who hasn't forgotten about me at some point in my life yet, so I have nothing to worry about. I'll have a good time with friends tomorrow and I won't sob into my chocolate about not having anybody.

But you know who I think is really hot? The guy from the Listerine commercials. You know...the one who swooshes the Listerine all in his mouth and makes all those cute faces before spitting it out. Don't laugh! It's cute.
posted by amber at 10:41 PM