Hard Labor and Clean Music

Today has been spent mainly outside, working. And although I don't generally like work-let alone hard work-I can actually say I had a pretty good day. =)
Cindy, the lady we rent from, was the reason I worked today. She's like my Dad in that she's the kind of person that likes things looking perfect, clean, and overall amazing. This of course means a lot of work on her part (for it does for my Dad). Before she came to work on my family's yard, she told me that she'd hire me to help her today. I decided I might as well, considering I have all summer to play around on the computer.
At about 9:30 this morning, Cindy and I started on our job, where we were laying wood-chips from across the street onto the bare parts of my family's front yard, to help keep the weeds from growing and to make the yard look nicer. While she arranged the wood-chips on the ground, I loaded and re-loaded the wheelbarrow, going back and forth. We took a lunch break, two long breaks, and I know I took a lot of one minute breaks between the loads. The temperature's high today went up above 90 degrees, and 90 degrees is hot where I live. Thankfully, some amazing clouds blocked the sun's harsh rays from after lunch until the end of the day. =) Cindy's still working out there, but she said I could go in...I don't know how she's still alive, to be honest.

As I was working today (totally changing the subject, FYI), I began to ponder all my summers at this house. My family and I have only lived in this house for three years, and this is my fourth summer here. I decided that my summers should be called, "The 'Getting-To-Know-You' Summer", "The Mathematics Summer", and "The Marching Band Summer".
The first one's name came from it being my first summer here, in a totally new landscape. We had just moved from the mountains that first summer, and we now live in the city. It was a hard summer that year, having no friends, but looking back I'm glad we moved. =)
The second summer's name is due to the fact that I did math over the summer. You could say it was summer school, but I wasn't doing math because I'd been behind in school; I was taking pre-algebra so that I could be a year ahead come the next school year. We went through a good chunk of the textbook that summer, which says something, considering schools these days can't get through a textbook too often when they have nine months. I mean, really. That's a fail on their part.
Last summer is now referred to as it is, because it was my first summer of marching band. No one else in my family, nor any friends had ever been in marching band, and so it was a complete new experience for me. It was a hard summer again, but I'm so glad I went though it. I grew so much last summer, not only in my trombone playing, but in my character. I'm taking marching band again this year, mainly because I enjoy being challenged every now and then, and though most people would say marching band can't be qualified as a sport, I'd say it has a way of being tough. Especially on 'wimpy' people like me, haha. =)
Now why I just told you all of this, I've no idea. But I felt like sharing a piece of me. Hmm, somehow I get the feeling that's the whole point of this blog... =D

Anyway, speaking about titles, you're probably wondering about this blog's title of "Hard Labor and Clean Music". I mean, I've talked about hard labor and my past three summers, but not clean music...
 Well, today I came across a clean romance song, teaching a valuable lesson, and I love it so much I felt like sharing about it somewhere ^_^ The song's called, "Just A Kiss", by Lady Antebellum, whom I didn't even know existed until today. When I first heard it, I was skeptical about it staying clean; after all, the lyrics say at one point, 'It's hard to hold back when I'm holding you.'
Immediately, my mind went on red alert, and inside I died like I do every time something that seems good-like a book or song-turns bad. But then, I heard the whole song...it's about not having sex before marriage! Not the other way around! And I was like, "whoa, it's clean!!! A clean romance song teaching a lesson about waiting! EEK!"
Yes. I got overly excited. ^_^ But, I mean, the ending lyrics say, "Let's do this right. Just a kiss goodnight." Meaning, nothing more than a kiss, 'cause anything more right now is wrong.
Oh, geez...I need to take a chill pill =)
 Anyway, that's all for tonight! Laterz!
~Kathy