oh Jónsi...

I forgot to add this into my "insignificant blog post", then I realized it's not actually insignificant... well to me anyway!

I saw Jónsi last week. I'm not a hardcore "Yo-n-zee" fan, but I do enjoy his relaxing, creative, artistic, harmony creations along with his band Sigur Rós'. He's crazy, but brilliant at the same time.

{can I share that I spent an entire semester in a piano class during my senior year of high school teaching myself how to play a song from Sigur Rós called Hoppipolla. Watching YouTube video clips, using sheet music, figuring out how to stretch my fingers so far.. it's still one of the only songs I can play on the piano..}

Anyway, the whole evening was an event in itself {music aside}, but I have only ever heard good things about his shows & how they leave you blown away. So I had pretty high expectations.

It was more than I expected. It was unlike any musical experience I've ever had. I really do enjoy music a lot more when I hear it live. I appreciate it more, especially if it's done well.

I appreciate Jónsi more now. The creativity, was beyond me. The backdrops. The music. I've heard that it's like a spiritual experience, I can see that. There were times I wanted to just close my eyes & soak it all in, but I didn't want to miss what was going on.

It was seriously a beautiful portrayal of musical & artistic creativity. I suggest you see him live, if you'd like to experience music in a way you've never experienced before.

{photo credit: Phil Southern}

autumn tunes..

Happy first day of fall, harvest, autumn friends... this is a very fall-esque play list for your ears to enjoy, or at least for my ears to enjoy for the next few months of crisp weather, earth tones, apples, pumpkin spice latte's, & falling leaves...

{these songs aren't necessarily "new" songs, but definitely worthy of being listened to on a crisp-fall day while sipping a pumpkin spice latte on your way to the apple orchard..and I started with just ten songs, then added a few more & had an OCD moment & couldn't leave the list at 13 or 17.. so 20 it is.}

1. On My Way Back Home, Band of Horses
2. Lay Down In Your Fields, Griffin House
3. I Have Nothing, Noah & the Whale
4. Wide Eyes, Local Natives
5. Don't I Hold You, Wheat
6. Electrocution & Laughter, Jeremy Lister
7. Young Friend, Brooke Waggoner
8. Comin' Home, CIty & Colour
9. Last Time, Paper Route
10. Your Side Now, Trent Dabbs
11. Deciphering Me, Brooke Fraser
12. The World at Large, Modest Mouse
13. Elements, A Fine Frenzy
14. Let's Go, Madi Diaz
15. Your Ghost, Greg Laswell
16. Decisions, How to Dress Well
17. Your Protector, Fleet Foxes
18. Blood Bank, Bon Iver
19. Reach, Andrew Belle
20. Go Do, Jónsi
*enjoy..

{artwork: Samantha Rose}

sleeping sickness..

I have this bad habit of staying up *way* too late on nights when I don't have anything to do the next morning.. then dread staying up *this* late on nights I have loads of homework to do or a paper to write.

So I typed "sleep" into my iTunes search bar to see what I could find.. in hopes that something would help me drift into dreamland. These are all the titles that had sleep, sleepless, asleep, sleeping, or sleepers in them:

1. Have You Fallen Asleep, Paper Route
2. Half Asleep, School of Seven Bells
3. I Can't Sleep, The Hard Lessons
4. Sleeping Sickness, City & Colour
5. Sleep, Copeland
6. How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, Bombay Bicycle Club
7. Go To Sleep, Lupe Fiasco {I guess this song didn't come out on iTunes yet? Thanks RCRD LBL}
   
8. Sleep Well, Lydia
9. Trouble Sleeping, The Perishers
10. Sleepers, Seven Places
11. Sleepyhead, Passion Pit
12. I Never Get Much Sleep On Weekdays, Mikrofisch
    
13. If This City Never Sleeps, Rosie Thomas
14. Sing You To Sleep, Paper Route
15. Sleepless, Until June
16. If You Can't Sleep, She & Him
17. Go To Sleep, The Avett Brothers
18. Sleepless, The Decemberists

Right this second...

I'm wearing:
...these pants that I forgot I had, they seriously might be the most comfortable pants I've ever worn. They're light weight, kind of baggy, & cozy.. I'm in love.

It feels:
...like it should be later than 11:00.

I'm enjoying:
...laying on my parents couch watching Elizabethtown with my twin & mom. I think I've seen this movie more than any other movie in the whole world. I don't know what it is about it. I love it & could watch it over & over again..
{my family went down to Nashville last November.. we drove through Elizabethtown, KY on our way home.. :)}

I wish this weekend I was:
...going on one of Claire's cross-country road trips.

I'm a little ashamed:
...of how attached I am to this new friend I acquired last weekend... her name is BlackBerry.

I'm thinking about:
...how excited I am to go to yoga & hang out with my sisters tomorrow night in the city of Detroit.

I'm still:
...getting used to living back at my parents house.. missing the sound of the train at night

I'm still wondering & curious about:
...this next season of my life that is unfolding in front of me..

I'm wishing:
...I was counting down to a vacation to a private island somewhere & no agenda, or at least ...another long weekend at the St. Regis in Orange County,

I'm dreaming of:
...fall, crunchy leaves, cider mills, apple orchards, & earth tones.

I'm still soaking up:
...habakkuk one.

I'm thinking about how I need to:
...buy some lawn tickets to see my boys Ray&Gray.

I'm smiling about:
...my adventure with 100+ students/leaders to Detroit starting on Sunday.

I'm a little sad about:
...not visiting Lake Ann Camp for the first time in TEN years this summer.

I'm remembering:
...the sweet little faces that I met last summer in West Viginia!

I should be:
...sleeping.

there is a new man in my life...

I very vividly remember the first time I stumbled upon Matt Wertz on MySpace in 2003 & heard his song Everything's Right & knew it was love, then my ears heard Like the Last Time, Red Meets Blue, Counting to 100...
{There is just something about a good looking, mysterious, man who writes sappy love songs, plays the guitar, & lives in Nashville..}
Since then... he has been my number one man on iTunes & for years had me wishing, hoping, & planning to move to Nashville, so I could just run into him at a coffee shop, & marry him. Although that hasn't happened YET, it's OK because I think there is a new man in my life. They have a lot in common though, both singer/songwriters who live in Nashville & have a tendency to write sappy love songs.
His name is Andrew Belle. I've talked about him before, & heard his song Static Waves in the fall & have listened to it 100+ times since then.. along with his other songs (Tower, Oh My Stars, The Ladder, In My Veins...), he has quickly moved Mr. Wertz out of the way on my top played music on iTunes. Sorry Matt.

smile... it's the w e e k n d

It's just one of those really good days. The sun is shining, I got to sleep in this morning, I'm hanging out with the girls tonight, it's the weekend, I'm watching two of my favorite little boys tomorrow for the afternoon, Lighthouse starts again this Sunday, God's still teaching me about His timing, how to stop & listen for Him, let my words be few & how He sends us little signs throughout our day that reminds us He's with us.. it makes me smile.

All of that PLUS I've been on new music overload for the past few weeks & just got around to listening to the new Ten Out Of Tenn compilation called "We Are All In This Together". It came out a few weeks ago to help raise money for the flood relief in Nashville.

It's pretty great... it makes my heart love the city of Nashville & all the music that comes out of it so much more.
{some of the lyrics from the songs on here...drive me crazy, so I thought I'd share them with you...}

"...moving inch by inch, we're getting close to the edge, there's no other place to go so lets jump, lets fall together now, and we'll never have to touch the ground.."
--let's jump, joy williams

"nothing goes as planned, everything will break, people say goodbye in their own special way...you're in my veins and I cannot get you out, you're all I taste at night in my mouth, you run away because I am not where you found..."
--in my veins, andrew belle

"...I wonder what has happened to this dream, just say you'll stay and play a song for me..."
--one light wondering, trent dabbs

"...like poets and prophets who can't find the words, so they stare, and all that made sense has somehow turned to skew, I missed my chance with you..."
--missed my chance, griffin house

. . . . . . .

{God is in heaven & you are on earth, so let your words be few..}...ecclesiastes five:two

Sweet springtime..

I'm currently sitting by the window at Caribou in downtown Royal Oak...I wish I could get paid to people watch, because I could do it all day, St. Patrick's Day makes for some interesting sights.

Anyway, the sun is shinning, I'm wearing flats & a t-shirt (no coat, jacket, or sweater.), & I'm drinking an iced tea latte. Glorious.

Today I completed my "Spring" Playlist... the main criteria for any of these songs was that they were fun-roll-the-windows-down-listen-to-over-and-over-again-get-ready-for-summer type songs...here is what I've been listening to:

1. You're My Favorite, Joy Williams
2. 1901, Phoenix
3. Giving Up the Gun, Vampire Weekend
4. Sushi, Kyle Andrews
5. Sweet Disposition, The Temper Trap
6. Audience, Cold War Kids
7. New Heights, A Fine Frenzy
8. In the Sun, She & Him
9. Walking On a Dream, Empire of the Sun
10. You Get What You Give, New Radicals

{My sister took this picture at a wedding show this weekend, creative & springy}

music to my ears..

January / February-esque music that I've been listening to lately, that's too good to keep to myself...

1. Set the Fire to the Third Bar, Snow Patrol
2. Blue Skies, Noah & the Whale
3. Knight of Shinning Armor, Silent Violet
4. No One's Gonna Love You, Band of Horses
5. We Own the Sky, M83
6. Moth's Wings, Passion Pit
7. Half Asleep, School of Seven Bells
8. Much Farther to Go, Rosie Thomas
9. Just Say Yes, Snow Patrol
10. Rosyln, Bon Iver & St. Vincent

I'm dreaming of a...

The date is November 6th. There are only a few short weeks until Thanksgiving. Typically I consider JUST after Thanksgiving to officially be Christmastime. BUT as of right now, I want it to be Christmastime RIGHT NOW!

Its still pretty nice outside. Considering Michigan at this time could have already had a decent amount of snow, its going to be 60 on Sunday? (I'm still a little bitter towards the snow, but its nice to have on Christmas, I could not celebrate Christmas in FL!)

100.3 just started playing Christmas music! They play it pretty much right through the next two months! And I just had my first Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks...


Tonight my sisters, mom, & I are going to see a local high school play of Little Women. When we were younger the sisters, mom, & I would watch Little Women via VHS, drink hot chocolate, and make ornaments or other cute little Christmas-y things. One of my favorite memories for sure!

Grant me the favor..

[There are WAY too many songs by artists that I wish I could say I have written...this whole song would be one of them, but mostly this prayer at the end, just drives me crazy.]

"Oh Lord bless me, and keep me
Cause Your face, to shine on me
Lord be gracious, in the light of
Your countenance, give me peace
For I live only to see Your face
So shine one me

Let the light of Your face
Shine down, on my heart
And let me, feel it

Shine on me
Grant me the favor of Your face, Jesus.
Its all I need, its all I need
Its what I crave..."

[Light of Your Face, Jesus Culture...]

God, let ME of all people, see YOUR face!? God its what I crave! mmm, I love it. Its what I needed this week a lot + it just makes me excited, to just say that to my God & feels kind of like a reminder that, that's what I need. I need to crave the favor of my God, not just sometimes, but always...

I want to add to the beauty...

"We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts,
written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold,
that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation..."

Add to the Beauty, Sara Groves...

tally hall...

I haven't heard of them for a while, but I just came across the band Tally Hall and they reminded me of a few things...

1. Their name is from this plaza in West Bloomfield, where my parents used to go to back in the day, (that still exist near where I grew up at 14 Mile & Orchard Lake) when it had an indoor section of the strip-mall. Now its home to a California Pizza Kitchen, Old Navy, & Bed Bath & Beyond...

2. One of their songs is from a place in the plaza which is also still there, called Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. Its a sweet arcade-esque place with a legit photo booth & old games, where I went numerous times growing up for birthday parties or with my Uncle Brad & sisters.

3. I used to work with Joe Hawley's sister & we have the same birthday...

4. I personally do not care for much of their music, but its sweet that they're mostly from around here.

stuck in my head...

"Like an apple on a tree
Hiding out behind the leaves
I was difficult to reach
But you picked me
Like a shell upon a beach
Just another pretty piece
I was difficult to see
But you picked me..."
-A Fine Frenzy

*music should make my ears feel good..

*the radio in my car isn't very reliable, i currently don't have an iPod, & the CD player only plays the everglow by mae or never take friendship personal by anberlin [those are good, but they get old pretty fast] so i tend to find myself listening to a fuzzy channel & turn it up loud enough to make out what the song actually is.

so that is all really besides the point, but i heard a song on a certain "only new rock alternative" channel [which is not necessarily the most classy channel on the radio, but they do play some good songs on there every so often...] a while ago. i listened to the whole thing because i had never heard it before and it caught my attention anyway i was very disturbed by the lyrics in it and then i had forgotten about it and i heard it again the other day driving. to be completely honest lyrics to a song don't really bother me that much, within reason, but these lyrics were horrifying. who would write lyrics like that..!? honestly.

so i don't even want to put the lyrics or actual song on here because i don't want to ruin anyone else's idea of a song. but the song is just completely degrading and inappropriate from a guys perceptive about a girl. and i think that the part that pushed me over the edge the most was the ending when they sing "i hope i never have a daughter...". [by this part of the song i almost started crying] pretty much because all of this inappropriate-ness that the "daughter" being talked about in the song is nothing that her dad thinks she really is, and this guy thinks that if he had a daughter one day that she would do the same things.

it kills me that clearly some low-life would write this song and make money from it. i know that there a million and one other songs out there that are probably even more degrading and inappropriate about girls, but that is so NOT something i want to be listening to. i want to listen to a guy sing nice and loving things towards girls and say he'd love to have a daughter someday...like john mayer.

so earlier i was cleaning out my iTunes library and finding new music for myself to enjoy and on noise trade you can get a katie herzig sampler...its pretty good.

- - - - - - -

also i hadn't listened to them in a while, but paper route has a new album coming out in about a month so finally i can get the song carousel...i'm excited.

[jeremy cowart is pretty good.]

*good music does make me s m i l e.

...there really is no reason for me to be awake right now... but i cannot fall asleep tonight. i can hear rain & heard thunder earlier outside my window, which is one of my top favorite things. r a i n.

so when i can't sleep i talk to Jesus or listen to music. randomly i was listening to erin mcCarley the other day & made an iTunes genus bar playlist for one of her songs & now i am listening to it & it is a rather relaxing selection of music i love & haven't listened to in a while...

*Erin McCarley, Brooke Fraser, Eisley, Jon Foreman, Death Cab For Cutie, Imogen Heap, Ryan Adams, Sara Bareilles, Jimmy Eat World, The Afters, Mat Kearney, Damien Rice, Anberlin, The Fray, Jon McLaughlin, Matt Wertz, Until June, Dave Barnes, Augustana, John Mayer, Band of Horses, Rogue Wave, Stars, Tegan and Sara, Keane, Vega 4, Mute Math, Five for Fighting, Feist, John Mayer, Sigur Ros, Sufjan Stevens, Athlete, Lifehouse, Coldplay, Filter, Jason Mraz, David Gray, Michael Bublé, Colbie Caillat, Augustana, Josh Kelley....

*read, & soak it up....

"God moves in a MYSTERIOUS way,

His wonders to perform;
He plants his FOOTSTEPS in the sea,
And RIDES upon the STORM.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He TREASURES up his BRIGHT DESIGNS,
And WORKS his sovereign WILL.

Ye fearful saints, fresh COURAGE take,
The clouds ye so much dread
are big with MERCY, and shall break
In BLESSINGS on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But TRUST him for his GRACE;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The BUD may have a BITTER taste,
But SWEET will be the FLOWER.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

(In his own time, in his own way)"

--William Cowper

*we sang this song a while back at lighthouse & the words amaze me, it is a poem that was written by William Cowper, and Jeremy Riddle put it to music...