Sleep All Day, Uke All Night

College?!
Ehh.
What I do instead of studying-

this week, in macro focus:





























i'm learning a lot about the way things work these days.
bruce springsteen in less than a week.
one year of college down in less than two months.
i'm already positive that everything next semester will be a whirlwind of difference, but nonetheless, i'm looking forward expectantly, waiting on the tips of my converse; waiting for life to bring me something new.

Maybe I Will

Somedays I really love Livejournal.com



Every single day I love my friends turned-into family.

This must be the place

I'm extremely tired of underestimating or putting a limit on things. I don't want to measure happiness on a scale of 1-100 because even 100 doesn't sound big enough to me. I want to cram as much life into every five minutes of my day as possible and I don't think that's a bad thing to strive towards. I'm tired of just EXISTING- I need more than that. I want to direct this passion for LIFE towards God's goals and I desire to feel exhausted in the best possible way- knowing that I spent my energy for the one who provided me with it in the first place.

"It's not always that there's necessarily a clear-cut good choice or a bad choice- no matter WHAT you choose, God can work through it."

I think I really need to be reminded of that, and instead of trying to make a circumstance in which he can work in my life, realizing full-heartedly that Jesus can work through taco nights with chattery sugar gliders, accompanied by simple love in conversation. Jesus can work through April 5th and April 8th and I know that all this doesn't hit home with everyone or many at all, but I think I am starting to get just a tip of this whole concept of how BIG he is and I feel literally like I am jumping up and down asking for more. More challenges, more new faces, more broken days and more fixed days. Just a whole lot more with him beside me, because, it has come to my attention that I can't do many things, much less reach them, standing at five feet and three and a 1/2 inches on my own. Here's to constant relying and constant rejoicing.

Oh, and in case you forgot-
I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!

Just about half-past ten

Over Christmas Break I frequently found it difficult to explain when people would ask me how college was, because I knew in order to really tell them I'd need to use pictures, songs and attempt to recreate situations that probably wouldn't seem important to that other person at all. I talked to peers from high school, which still seems like it wasn't that long ago and they told stories of weekends that seemed so much different than my own experience, but I wasn't jealous at all. I know it is literally ridiculous, worthy of ridicule, that I seem to already be getting nostalgic after one measly semester of college, but the times I want to take back and remember to the fullest and down to the last detail are the ones that we didn't plan or buy tickets to attend. The impromptu heart-to-heart moments, the tears from laughing so hard that my throat was sore and my stomach hurt and the spontaneous discussion and discoveries that kept me up later that night, still excited from the day that had just happened.

Set me down with a group of people I love and you don't even need to give us a topic. Jesus works through everything, and these seemingly insignificant little snippets of conversation are often filled with his words, his adoration for us as demonstrated through others' own love.

In other news, they (the man) just removed the "It's Raining Men!" music video off of YouTube.
...WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!


I'll always love you, Weather Girls. Hallelujah!

Workin' On Ice Cream

Today was:
a best friend's birthday, an album that I have been anticipating being released, a first announcement of accompanying tour dates that bring back happy tears of memories of a wonderful night at the Toyota Center that literally changed a small portion of my life, two packages coming in the mail, constant good heart-pouring conversation with friends and seeing Jesus everywhere- in overwhelming excitement and hearing literal love spilling out of my speakers in guitar, saxophone, voice, drums, strings, bass, organ and especially that accordion.

The temperature is below freezing but I am so warm filled with joy!!!
Thank you, Bruce. But overwhelmingly more, thank you God for creating all this endless beauty. If I think about it all again I'm seriously going to start jumping up and down.


....Yeah, definitely just did again.

Pour A Little Salt

I took down my collage wall today (which, by the way, is exactly what it sounds like). For two hours, I carefully removed tape from the back of old pictures, faded show programs, fortunes from fortune cookies, souvenirs, layers of notes, scribbles, drawings, stickers and countless other artifacts that had all manifested themselves onto the sheetrock. I guess when I started tacking up little pieces of my life in middle school I'd envisioned that one day I'd have to take them down, but I never imagined it would feel the way it did. I didn't sob over magazine cutouts of Audrey Hepburn or the 7 or so Lord Of The Rings movie ticket stubs. Things that seemed to be the center of my universe in 8th grade really don't occupy much space in my heart and mind at all anymore, even laughably so. Although staring at the blank wall now is extremely bittersweet and somewhat lonely, I don't need something tangible to remember every little nuance of my life. The days and minutes that set my heart racing and left me laughing so hard I could barely breathe are still very real to me. The words I wrote down never to forget are still on the tip of my tongue and the faces that cheered me up and taught me about real, sacrificing love are clearer in my mind than any photograph. Holes left by tacks and chips left by tape will be filled in, tomorrow I'll dump a large amount of crumpled bits of paper into the recycling bin and have a moment of silence before planning what color paint to buy and paint over. Here's to quite a new beginning. Here's to filling up a few hundred more walls with my life.

Oh, and here's this for all you visual learners:

Get Behind Me, Santa

I have nothing to complain about right now, except for the weather.
How ridiculous is that?!

Okay, yes, it's absurd that it will be 73 degrees here on the 25th, but even more overwhelming is the fact that I AM SO BLESSED! God has placed a tight-knit family all around me and given me hilarious and talented friends who exceed my expectations and keep me ecstatic about each new day. Along with them, amidst early goodbyes with cocoa and coffee, a relationship has mended and I am so full of thank you's that I might explode. Wrapping paper and bows are lovely and adorning, but I can't help the cliche when I positively know that anything truly worth being excited about doesn't come tied up with string. There's so much beauty in conversation- often more so when it's not easy. There's love in words that goes missed too often and there's little sparks in phrases said that resonate for a while and end up keeping me much warmer than my black and white houndstooth jacket. So while I'll catch my breath when I see an impressive display of lights, shake the boxes of presents just to preview them and attempt to imitate Mariah Carey every five minutes when she plays on the radio, there's something bigger at work. I don't think those usual cheesy feelings with Christmas this year are going to end after one night. And, if that is the case, please forgive me ahead of time for continuing to play "Winter Wonderland" in January.

There are literally hundreds of songs that I burst with joy to share with people (and especially since it IS the season of giving), I just thought I'd give you one of my absolute favorites--

I don't trust my own words a lot of times, but I'll trust anything when Sam Cooke sings it. And I couldn't say it better myself; Christmas Means Love!