This Confounded Guitar!

That confounded thang! That is what Grandma uses when things are driving her crazy. The phrase was mostly used like this, "Those confounded kids are driving me up the wall!" That was the joy of growing up next door to your grandparents. We never had the loving, doting grandparents you see stereotyped on TV or written about in books. Ours had the power and need to whip us, fuss at us, or do whatever was necessary to keep us in line. Don't get me wrong my grandparents loved us and still love us beyond measure, but they saw us everyday, not once or twice a year. We got on their nerves! Seven cousins all growing up on the same road, running up and down the same hills, slamming the same screen door a couple thousand times a day. I understand why they were the way they were.

But anyways....about this guitar....

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love three things in this world. Those three things are music, sports, and classic cars. Classic cars have no place in this post, so I will leave them alone for now. So onto music and sports.

I have always been the kid who loved music...any kind of music! My only requirement was that I could sing along. My cousin and I would turn on the radio and bust out some "Islands in the Stream." My brother and I could rock out to Travis Tritt's "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" and David Lee Murphy's "Dust on the Bottle." Heck, my sister-in-law and I bust out Lady Antebellum or Jason Aldean EVERYTIME we get in the car together.

I am not a big fan of bands that scream, but if they have a ballad or two I probably like them. I am always on the lookout for new bands so leave me a comment about some bands I need to check out. I have been told that I should be a music rep who sits in bars and listens to upcoming bands and suggesting who should get a record deal. For the record, I would love that job so if any record execs are hiring.....hit me up! I love music and live music is even better. I am sure that I go to at least 6 large production concerts a year, probably 10 small scale concerts, then there are the local bar acts. I would go to more if I wasn't working off a teacher's salary.

The funny thing is about all of this love for music is that I can't play a single instrument. Not that I haven't wanted to though. I've taken piano lessons off and on growing up, and guitar lessons as well. That is where my other love comes into play. Every time that I would start getting in the swing of playing piano or guitar, some sport would pull me away. Sports were literally a year round thing and always took precedent over the instrument.

My sports consisted of baseball and soccer in spring and summer, soccer and football in the fall, and I would wrestle in the winter. Wrestling would overlap both football in the fall and baseball and soccer in the spring. I spent my entire childhood playing 2 or 3 sports all the time. I had wonderful parents who had no life for 18 years following my brother and me around to our varied sporting events. How I found time to even attend music lessons is beyond me but the music was always the first to go.

After high school, I picked up the guitar a few times and said that I am going to learn to play it only to lay it down after a few weeks. Then about two months ago, I decided that I needed to learn to play. This time I have stayed with it, practiced, gotten some old guitar players from church to help me along and am learning how it all works. I am just not learning fast enough for my liking.

With sports, I was always an athlete. I could pick up playing a sport fairly quickly and be pretty good. I was never the best athlete, but I could hang in there with the best athletes in any sport that I played. I never really faced major frustration with sports. This is where the guitar is KILLING me!

I have to admit that I have come a long way in the 7 or 8 weeks I have been intently playing, but it isn't coming along near quick enough. I can play a few songs, albeit shaky and not quite in time. I have a number of main chords in my repertoire and they are coming along, but I am ready to be jamming out like Brad Paisley or Keith Urban yesterday! I just can't seem to grasp it yet though. My fingers do not want to go where my brain is telling them and my right hand just wants to stop working when the left hand is moving! Everyone tells me that I am doing good and if I keep working it will come! I'm working but I do wish that it would hurry. Patience is a virtue that I have yet to be blessed with, though God has tried to put in there.

So the point of this post is that if I could only learn the guitar I would be on my way to Nashville, cause singing isn't the problem. Singstar says I should already be there!


Here is the brother being boring playing Singstar with his hand in his pocket and eyes intent on the screen. Fortunately, there are no pictures of Tanya or myself rockin' it out. I think I feel another Singstar party in the works! Maybe to celebrate the beginning of summer break!

If you have any tips for me about how to play this confounded geetar....leave a comment.

Tanya is knocked up!

Yep, I am going to be an uncle! Craig and Tanya are having a baby girl in September. The family is excited about a little one being around the house. Yes, my baby brother is married and having a baby before I even get close to that point. It's a little disheartening, but I will keep this post about Craig and Tanya and the baby.

On Christmas Day, after all of the family gatherings and everyone was back at their own home, Craig called me. This was the conversation:
Craig: "Hey Uncle Josh!"
Me, after a moment of contemplating what was just said: "For real? That's cool. Congratulations. Tell Tanya I said congratulations too."
Tanya, yelling from the background: "That's all you got?"
Me: "Yep."

Craig and Tanya were just married last October ,so they are following Mom and Dad and having a youngin' a mere eleven months after their nuptials. When they told me on Christmas Day, I was in shock (not sure why, but I was) that they were trying to get pregnant so soon. I am not sure what my initial reaction was but I know that Tanya was a little disappointed. I am not sure if she expected me to jump up and down, clapping my hands, or to scream, but she should know me better than that by now.

I am excited for them and for the family. Mom and Dad have been waiting on me to find someone and settle down for a while now. Everyone tells me to not worry and that being single at 27/28 isn't a big deal, but I think it is a southern thing. You go to school, graduate high school, get married, have babies or you throw college in there between high school and marriage. It didn't happen that way with me, because of my apprehension with the transplant and not feeling God's direction in the relationships.

Anyways, back to Craig and Tanya and the baby. They are still trying to decide on a name, but they are down to two names Keeley Renee or Hayden Renee. Renee is Mom's middle name, so she is especially excited about the baby being named after her.

I have no doubt that Mom is more excited about the baby than anyone. She is tickled pink that it is a girl. Mom grew up the middle child between two brothers, then she married Dad, the ultimate man's man, and had 2 boys. She has been surrounded by testosterone and is happy to be adding a little more estrogen to the family.

I am excited as well. I have a few small cousins who I love to death, but this baby girl already has me wrapped around her finger. My two prayers for her at this point are that she is healthy and that she knows Christ more passionately and deeper than I ever will. I pray that she is taken care of and watched over and that one day she will give her heart to Christ and be another light and sword in the army of the Lord.

I'll post some more pictures of the rest of the family as soon as I find the transfer cord to my camera. I have a million cords here, but can't find the 1 that I need.