Laugh often!



Such a beautiful and mild winter's day. We all took a walk and soaked up some sun ~ the fresh air felt delicious!
 What a treat!! (Wow, what a big smile on my face and what the heck is Jordan doing...)
Well, here we are ~ officially a brand, spankin’ new year. And much to my girls’ amazement, I managed to stay awake and ring in the new year with them! Scott succumbed to the irresistible call of sleep and crawled up to bed around 11:15 (so close!), but I just couldn’t join him and miss whatever crazy outfit Lady Gaga was going to wow us with! (Last night she reminded me of a lightbulb…) Ushering in the new year is always such a surreal moment, I have no idea why it holds such appeal to me. I can only figure it has to do with the fact that I love fresh starts, and what bigger fresh start than a whole new year? It feels so clean and ripe with glorious possibilities and I always shiver as that big, gaudy ball drops.

A couple of days ago I did a serious and reflective post reviewing 2011 and contemplating 2012. (Be. The. Change.) Today, I’m going to shift gears and give you something a little lighter! Back in 2004 my brother, Adam (probably in an effort to save money), made a little Christmas video and Cletus McDirt the Redneck was born. It was mostly a collection of photos with a skit or two thrown in against a backdrop of awesome music. At the time I’m sure he had absolutely no idea what this little experiment would grow into, and the crazy, rabid obsession my whole family holds with him! Each year since brings us a new edition and as Adam’s computer talents grow we find ourselves giddy with anticipation.

Most always (always?) the girls and their cousins are featured in one form or another ~head banging rock band, Cletus wannabes, Redneck Idol… all of them have us in stitches. This year was no exception. The quality of the video isn’t all that great since I taped it on my camera as the video played, but it’ll do. What you can’t see is the girls and I with our hands clamped over our mouths stifling almost irrepressible laughter as we watched (for the 6th time!) …hope you enjoy. J



And for those of you who are familiar with Cletus (and even some of you who aren’t!) I’m going to post one more. This is my brother and his alter ego Cletus, my favorite skit in this year’s movie. (That's my dad as the "six" foot guard!)I’ve watched it almost as many times as the previous and it has me giggling hysterically each time…




And so, I wish you a very, very happy new year. I look forward to reading about your journeys as we make our way through 2012 and all of the ups, downs and in betweens that are sure to follow. Happy, happy New Year friends!

Peace & blessings ~ Melinda

{If anyone is interested in more Cletus, check out Jordan's newest post here. It's one of her super long catch-up posts, Cletus is at the very bottom!)