Negative Excellence

I'm baaaack! Just kidding, probably not, there is No Time! Never any Time! :)

I said in my last entry that I thought this would be very different than undergrad...I was spot on. So much work!! After a trip home for some youth events a few weeks ago I am officially 1 week behind (by the end of today it will be a little more) in my reading. So, I have a lot of time to make up! (You may wonder then- "So why are you writing this?" Well, because I am in class and after a 16 hour day that started early this morning I need something to keep me awake)

One thing I am learning about here through a very awesome and unique opportunity I have, is negative excellence. Originally it is from a book called Margin but I learned about it from a person who is a pretty big deal on campus. We so often hear that it is about a balanced life, I have heard about that here a few times already, but he suggests that is is really about setting expectations for yourself and practicing negative excellence. So you prayerfully observe what are the "boulders" in your life that God want you to  focus on right now and then you make adjustments elsewhere, say no to things, and become ok with what others may think when you do. I got to talk to him over lunch this week since I was a little confused of how this played out practically in a few areas, and it was such a great time that met some of my unspoken needs in this time of discernment. What a blessing!

Here are a few other hints of things that have been happening:

• I have a "whole sister" here (that is what she calls me) that frequently quotes famous black philosophers and it is amazing. She is so much fun and a great person, so glad we are friends!
• I have the same schedule of a few other people and the sense of community that is forming is pretty awesome. We can study together, look out for each other, and inform each other- it is turning out to be something I will miss when classes change.
• Most Productive Mondays are really taking off! After a very busy weekend away for me and my roomie we decided to start Most Productive Mondays where we wake up early, work all day, leave no one behind, and (probably most importantly) we will run The Water Feature all day! It is catching on and a few more have joined us (to the point where we are going furniture shopping this weekend). Most Productive Mondays!!! Jingle forthcoming...
• My roommates are becoming some of my favorite people! Oh, so much fun...
• Alysa, one of my new amazing friends, is hilarious and so sweet and I am loving getting to know her as well....while studying ;)
• International worship is amazing and I am on a personal quest, supported by many others, to see that it happens more often! Sternly worded surveys have already been filled out and a letter is on the way!
• The food here has really gone downhill since week one. I need to find some new things to do for lunch here.
• NYC a little over a week! Hopefully things will be going well after Sandy, maybe we can do something to help when we are there?
• Did anyone see Parks and Rec? Ah, I love Ben and Leslie!

Back to School

Yep...school starts tomorrow...deep breaths.

First- I am in KY now and was greeted by this:

I am in the South now. Besides the accent and hearing y'all about 10 times on my first day the move went well. I only brought down one car load then bought the extra things needed down here. On my way to do this I discovered many awesome places that kept the song from Annie running through my head. "I think I'm gonna like it here!" Here are some of the places within 20 min of me now: Target, Kroger, Jimmy Johns, Qdoba, Captain D's, Sonic, Chik-Fil-A, and when I got to the mall there was a J. Crew and an APPLE STORE!! What what! I feel like I am back in civilization now! That is when I drive about 10 min...there is not anything within the "city" limits.

Another positive of the move is the new rooms: very spacious, laminate wood floors, large closets and lots of storage space. Even better then the room set up however is the fact that I am not using all the storage! I have slimmed the possessions down so it is just wide open, uncluttered space! I have started a bedtime routine where I put everything that has a place away before bed with the hopes that this will not only keep my room clean and beautiful but that it will become a habit before the craziness of school kicks in. (I have been reading the Joy of Less this month and am loving the first section about Philosophy...I will be rereading this regularly. I highly recommend it. It is easy to read and convicting when you need to feel the urge to purge.)

Now onto school...I am SUPER nervous. I was going stir crazy this weekend just wanting it to start already because I was getting so anxious. See in undergrad I did not have to work super hard to get a 4.0 because school comes pretty naturally to me so just a little effort goes a long way. I have a feeling this will be vary different and I am getting nervous on whether or not I can hack it. The second reason for this feeling is the fact that it is almost exclusively reading and writing- my two weakest areas. I have never been gifted in the area of writing and my papers start to get real sketchy when they are longer than 3 pages. The Reading? During orientation a professor said that the average will be about 400 pages of reading per day..WHAT!?! Today I literally fell asleep reading 5 pages...5. This is going to be rough. I may be investing a large chuck of change in getting a comfortable but non reclining chair because reading on the bed will NOT work.

So, classes start in less then 12 hours and I have high hopes for my personal growth and development while I am here and am sweating (literally) the school aspect of this whole thing. Pray for me. If I am not completely swamped with work or, the much more likely, if I am procrastinating my mounds of work I will try and keep you updated a little better...but we'll see....no guarantees.

Updates

A few updates for you who are interested:

The Voice: The fantasy league is over and I WON!!! There were only two of us and the trend of us having the same number of contestants continued to the end and my final person was Juliet Simms who placed higher than my brother's Tony Lucca. BAM! Cannot wait for next year! (However anyone see an overwhelming male skew in the last few weeks? For example going down to 2 per team there were 2 girls and 1 guy left on each team and America voted all the men safe...what?!? That is sad really. I went on all episode about this travesty and received some consolation overall when Juliet at least made it to the finale.)

SiriusXM: So you know how I praised this style of radio a few weeks ago...I am very grieved to report that I have lost it. My free trial suddenly cut out Monday while I was driving. Sad day.

TV: For those of you know me I am a huge fan of good TV and I am really excited that all my shows are coming back next year- Parks & Rec, Parenthood, Castle, New Girl, Up All Night. Also in amazing Downton Abby news: there might be a movie! And Maggie Smith is supposed to be staying!! WOO HOO!!

So You Think You Can Dance has also started!! I am already disappointed by how quickly they are moving through the auditions and how they only highlighted 6 people per city, and there was barely any classic Tyce. On the positive side- DANCE IS BACK AGAIN! I am so excited that SYTYCD is back and that I got so see that adorable 2 year old dance. Soooo cute. (poor version below)

School: Last but not least I am happy to report that I not only made it into my #1 school for my masters but also received a full tuition scholarship!! YAY ME! This means I have to move to Kentucky- but I am not really sad about that but actually really excited. I hear it is beautiful and there are more things to do than here in this small town (not really a huge accomplishment). This worked out amazingly! I am so blessed!

Sweetlife 2012

Two weeks ago, while on vacation with my fam, I went to the Sweetlife festival in D.C. with Cece. Here were some highlights: (Which means no talk of food because we stayed put in our awesome seats for most of it and it was really expensive. Also, no pics of A$AP ROCKY who was horrible...it is like putting a "$" in your name is a curse or something.)

We got there a little late, then had to wait in the will call line, so we missed most of fun.'s set. It was disappointing because in the will call line (and when we finally got to see them) they sounded awesome and seemed to be putting on a great show. I think they just made it on my "Live list", or the running list of people i want to see in concert.

I have no clue who these two are. They played in-between the horrid A$AP set and before Fitz but were not on the official set list. It was a DJ with her Mac and turntables and a violinist shredding her bow in an awesome combination that I would actually want to see again (I am not a huge D.J. concert fan). I wish I knew who they were, cuz they were cool.

Fitz and the Tantrums put on one amazing and energetic show (just as I expected). They knew how to get the crowd going, how to perform, how to dance and with their music being great in the first place it made for a fun show that defiantly won the crowd over. (Including Cece) I would recommend everyone go and see their live show- it is a great time.

Finally- there was the Shins. Even though I already have tickets to see them in June I was really looking forward to them. They did not disappoint. They sounded great and played the hits, and by hits I mean the songs I like...which is just about all of them.

Performance wise they were as I expected them to be-classic band performance with no dancing, crowd hyping, guitar smashing or stage dives. They just went up there and played, talked to the audience some, but the focus was defiantly on the music and fitting a ton into their hour and fifteen. I am excited to see them again with Jenah because their music is amazing and I could listen to them everyday. (Also quick shout out to the new girl in the Shins- she looked awesome and sounded awesome too. Girl Power! Sorry...there was a Spice Girl reference in New Girl so it has been coming up a lot this week.)

The Voice, fantasy league update!

"This is the Voice!!" I am loving the voice! Here are some of my thoughts on this season of the only singing competition I watch (except for the occasional Singing Bee episode)

Cee Lo, or Mandy Moore?
It looks like Cee Lo, talks like Cee Lo, even pets a cat like Cee Lo. However, this "Cee Lo" puts together hit or miss (but mostly mediocre) performances all to the Time Life collection of 80's hits....hmm. Sound like someone you know from the best competition show ever- So You Think You Can Dance?? Yep, Mandy Moore. I do not know what these two were up to from 1980-1989 but it sure made a huge impact on their professional lives giving them neon 80's tunnel vision. The other problem with Cee Lo's coaching is he set up half of his team to fail in the battle rounds-including my guy Jamie Lono- I do not support that at all. (FYI SYTYCD starts May 23rd!! Day after Kimbra release! Going to be a great week!)

Erin Martin, annoying.
When she sang her first song I thought- eh. She sounded like a bad Bjork impersonator and Ellie Goulding impersonator (more on her later) smashed together. I was not a fan...neither were the judges for the most part. When it came time for the battle rounds, Cee Lo set the Sheild brothers up to fail but they were actually impressive- however Green went with his other brain to pick the winner. She should be thankful she made it to the live rounds at all, but NO she is complaining that her coach ruined her chances. Hello, he gave you your chances! She wanted to sing Billie Holiday- thank you for stopping that atrocity Cee Lo. She prided herself in the press after her elimination on her two "unique" song choices...oh wait...was that not a cover of "Your Song" in the exact styling on Ellie Goulding?? Yes- except that she pretty much sucked at it. You can ask my brother how upset I got after the second note she sang. You decide:

My heart hurts...
This show has a great talent for getting me so attached to people by the battle rounds that I am sad almost every time someone goes home. I don't know who to root for! Sometimes I even end up supporting someone who is up against someone on my team because of these story vignettes. Especially my two favorite boys: Jamie Lono and Anthony Evans. It still makes me sad to think about.Don't get me started, don't even get me started. I hope they continue to sing and eventually put out a record because I will buy them both!

Fantasy Voice League Beta is a winner!
There are still a few things to iron out but all in all the fantasy voice league is pretty awesome! We started out with teams of 12, after battle rounds were down to 6, and after 1 week of live shows we were down to four (so right along with the actual teams). We have turned our back on some and embraced others. We both started this week with 3 people we really liked (both had 2 on the same team) and one that we knew would not survive the next round. Surprise- Jesse went home! WHAT? I did not see that coming. But I have my two girls left to hopefully take me to the top! Fantasy Voice League is the best!!

RECORD STORE DAY THIS SATURDAY!!!

That is right- Record Store Day is this Saturday! I am so excited to go back to Finders, shop and spend a good chunk of change on music for the first time this year. If you do not know what Record Store Day is check out their website where you can get a list of exclusives that are coming out, news and see a list of stores participating. (Although I of course highly recommend Finders, but I guess if it is too far you to travel you can check out one in your area.)

As excited as I am, I am also nervous because I really want the Jimmy Fallon "Tebowie" 7" and I know it will be limited. I love Jimmy Fallon so I must have it! BTW- watched Downton Abby all weekend with my cousin because she had never heard of it-GASP!! She now is hooked. All weekend we were not only trying to live the Downton Abby lifestyle with multiple changes and an accent, but also constantly quoting the always spot on Late Night parody.

Anyway, it has been a busy few weeks with going back to school in the fall stuff, Easter, and crazy families- but I will defiantly post an update on school once that is all figured out and one on my what looks to be amazing haul from Finders this weekend. I will leave you with a sample from an EP being released this weekend physically for the first time...you guessed it...KIMBRA!!

Good Friday

So today is Good Friday which signals the end of Lent. Lent has been rough, but fun, and interesting. How did I do on my Lenten fasts and goals? Eh...so so. The spending fast went well with only 1 and 1/2 slip ups. How did the discipline go? Ugh discipline is hard. After being sick for a week, job busyness and watching one of my teens why her parents were out of the country my progress that I made has totally be undone. But even though Lent is ending, and I already have a list of things I will be buying like a haircut and a dress for the Kimbra concert, I am going to still try to train myself in discipline. I will be reminding myself of this constantly: "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11) It is true- it is painful and it sucks but I want the good things it brings so I am going to continue to try.

A twitter depiction of the story of Jesus I found:

HAPPY EASTER!!

Music Monday: Lots of Random Music Updates

So there is not one thing I am loving right now, but many and here they are:

1. The Shins- Port of Morrow (which you can stream on iTunes till tomorrow or Spinner till probably the end of the week) It sounds great and comes out tomorrow!! I am a huge Shins fan and a confession, may have preordered this CD in February before the spending fast...cheating I know. After the spending fast I will be buying it on LP at Finders. (Lets be honest, after the spending fast I will be spending all day a Finders...oh maybe I will make it Record Store Day!)

2. The Voice: This is the Voice! (I sing that as I fast-forward through commercials..it is in no way annoying my brother.) I was a fan of the voice last summer because of the coaches, blind auditions, how quickly it moved along, and how they really supported the artists and help them develop their unique style not just assigning them to sing country one week and 80's songs the next. When they announced that it would be back in the spring I thought that I would not watch it because there are so many other things on to watch and I do not want to spend every night in front of the TV. However...after the Superbowl I watched the first episode with my brother, saw this, and set the DVR to record the series. Oh, and I started a Voice fantasy league. (My team is AWESOME!)

3. Kimbra! I know, your are probably thinking "What you like Kimbra? No way." Yes. I LOVE KIMBRA! She is amahzing! Her U.S. album comes out May 22nd and here is one of the new songs that will be on it preformed live at SXSW:

4. SiriusXM - I have been loving SiriusXM a lot lately. Not just for all music no commercials, stations I am interested in, and Live On Broadway with Seth Rudetsky but lately they have been playing a ton of live stuff (like the Shins set at SXSW). Also I love seeing an artist that I knew was going to catch on go from one station to the next. Like Goyte started popping up on  my indie/alternative stations sporadically, then it was on the countdowns, then it moved to Spectrum, then it is on the top40 station and I can say "I told you so-you should hire me for stuff like this!" I will be really sad when my trial expires.

5. New iPad Garage Band App- now I do not own this but I watched the presentation they did, played with it at the Apple store this weekend and when I get an iPad it will be one of the few apps I buy.

6. Nick Drake- Now Nick Drake is not new, he is actually from the 70's but his music is amazing. I first heard his song "Pink Moon" in a car commercial over 10 years ago and with a second song I love on the Garden State Soundtrack I bought two of his CDs. Over the years he has become my go to artist to fall asleep to, read to, listen to when I want to relax or when I am sick (like all last week). He has a third CD and I will be buying it on Record Store Day because I think my other songs are starting to get jealous of the outrageous play count of Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon.

7. Kimbra! I am so dissapointed that I did not go to SXSW this year now because not only was Kimbra there, but she performed like a zillion times. Like a whole set by herself:

and many more shows with a full band and a tambourine which she performs with such dedication that she ends up like this by the end of the week. So to end this post enjoy one of her million SXSW sets:

STOP KONY 2012

 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

The video that is sweeping the world about Joseph Kony is getting a lot of criticism and I have to ask why? First the video if you have not seen it:

When I finished watching this I was so excited at the prospect of so many people coming together from around the world to realize they have the power to change things and then using that power to stop some of the evil taking place. I did a search after I watched it to see if it was getting news coverage yet and what do I find? "Stop Kony: Cynical marketing plan?" Kony 2012 "Dumbing down conflict" "Why Stop Kony won't work" or how Invisible Children is supporting the deaths, rape and other horrible actions accused of the government of Uganda.

Ugh. That is what I thought. I was discouraged and even thinking of repealing my support...oh wait what is that thing that happens whenever someone tries to do the right and usually difficult thing? Opposition, criticism and selfishness seem to start coming from all sides. The fact is that Kony has done horrible things to thousands of people and is showing no sign of stopping soon. All I can think of is the outrage that followed Casey Anthony in this country all over the news, is thins not in the same vain? But the death and abduction of thousands is getting met with questions of the organization's procedures and motives, talk of how this is not what we should be focusing on their is other evil out there, and just covering how quickly this has spread through social media with the focus being on "oh look another Charlie bit my finger viral video spreading like crazy! Interesting." I am not saying that any of this criticism is unfounded but I am saying that all the criticism is just perpetuating the idea that nothing will change, nothing can change, and we have no power to try. That is untrue.

Is there other evil in the world besides Kony? YES. But it makes no sense at all to let other evils keep you from stopping any of them. I want this movement to spread so far and wide so that Kony is caught and the millions that supported it feel that change is possible and move on to all those other evils like corruption, human trafficking, and poverty.

"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is this what I have been waiting for?

When the first movie for Harry Potter was released in 2001 I was already hooked on the series having got the fourth book at midnight the day it came out. As much as I loved the movies, I knew I wanted to wait to buy them. I knew that there were more books to come with the movies to follow, so why buy them when there would be one awesome box set down the line. So I waited. It was not easy but I did. 11 years later and I see this:

 

Looks pretty awesome right? Right! Reviews however are not so good, saying that this is not the best they can do...so the question is: Is this the set I have been waiting 11 years for? Or is there something better to come I should hold out hope for? These are the real questions in life people- epic questions in themselves that when applied to Harry Potter only make the stakes higher. It looks like I have a little while longer to decide since there is no release date posted for this numbered, 31 disc collectors edition with more features to be announced at a later date. What should I do Harry Fans? Either way I am starting to save my money because if this is not "the set" then the next one is only going to be more expensive- but totally worth it.

Lent: A time for Sacrifice

Lent is a time usually marked by fasting and a long lines at Captain D's. Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, was the kickoff to Lent which is meant to be 40 days and nights (not including the Sabbath) of preparation for Holy Week. So why with the no meat on Fridays and giving up pop?   

When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. (Psalm 69:10)

Because fasting is a way of humbling your soul. It is a way to practice self discipline, grow closer to God, gain healthy habits and prepare yourself for something (like Jesus fasting before the start of His ministry). Fasting can be more than just giving up pop or chocolate, it really should be more than giving up T.V. on Wednesdays ("because nothings on anyways") and it should NOT be giving up school work or showering for 40 days. It needs to be a sacrifice, but you can be creative!

Last year at lent I wore one dress for all 46 days to raise awareness/$ for the Daughter Project. My parents did not understand or support it but it was a sacrifice. For 40 days I did not buy clothing or accessories or shoes and instead wore the same black dress everyday. The money I did not spend went to the Daughter Project to help them build their shelter here in Ohio for girls rescued from human trafficking. This year I felt the Lord pushing me to a spending fast so that was the plan for Lent...until this weekend. I am a procrastinator, easily distracted and not really that great with self-discipline. So this weekend I felt the urge to do more than not spend money on anything that is not an absolute necessity. 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? 

So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  

They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others 

I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9:2-27)

I need to work on that whole self-discipline thing. So in addition to the no spending I also will be on a strict weekly schedule that includes waking up at a certain time, exercise, study, planning, cleaning, hobbies, and even my showers are blocked in. Full disclosure: I have already gone 0-2 on the wake up time but I will try again tomorrow. This is not going to be easy for me but when I sat down and made my block schedule I had trouble filling it up...where did all this time come from?? So hears hoping that I can stick to it, learn about self-discipline, gain some positive habits and grow closer to the One who asked this of me. Wish me luck.

Are you planning on fasting or sacrificing something for Lent? Here are tips to help you if you need ideas: 

• It needs to be a sacrifice, and not an easy one. What is getting in your way of doing something you love? Or if you are a Christian what is getting in your way of your relationship with God? Challenge yourself, it should not be easy and you may fail but just keep trying.
• Make it realistic. Some people go the opposite way and have huge lofty goals of a complete life overhaul. You know you so challenge yourself yes, but do not expect a completely new person to be living your life because it is Lent.
• Make it measurable. Do just eat sweets "less" or read "more" those will not work and it is hard to help and encourage you if it is not measurable. So if you want to exercise "more" then make it 4 times a week for an hour on the schedule so you know when you have met the goal or not.
• Be creative. What would be a challenge for you? I could easily give up things that may be hard for you to do and vise versa. Fast from Facebook, the internet, T.V., movies, spending, meat, dairy, wasting time, caffeine and so on. Give up your time to add something  into your life like exercise, cooking healthy meals everyday, mentoring or service. You could give up complaining or a bad attitude. You could start encouraging people, committing acts of kindness, or only letting positive things come out of your mouth. The possibilities are endless.

What is your Lenten sacrifice? Let me know in the comments! Here is to positive life changing successes!!

What I got for Christmas:

So you all asked what I got for Christmas (and by you all I mean the people in my head that start asking me things when I am bored) and who am I to disappoint you? Here it is, a few things I got for Christmas:

 

Soda Maker: I was a little nervous about this when I opened it because I am obsessed with Diet Dr. Pepper and knew this would see very little action if the "Diet Dr. Pete" did not work out. But, getting an idea from one of my friends the 10 year old inside of me who still loves "Clearly Canadian" got REAL excited.

Scraper Mitten: I was given one of these when I first started to drive by a friend of the family and everyone thought I was crazy. It was a novelty gift at the time. Now these are everywhere and I got a new one that is much better than my first one. (Which came a part about 4+ years ago) I love the inside of this one so much I might buy a second and use them as my gloves. That would not be creepy at all.

 

Yes. I got a Marry Poppins, full-size,umbrella. AWESOME I KNOW!! This puts me one step closer to my full Mary Poppins outfit. (This was actually the first step, I have nothing else...yet)

I also received some clothes that I picked out, eos lip balm (that I am loving), Sephora Gift Cards, car wash tickets,  Best of Amy Pohler (finally) and a Rise and Shine alarm clock. (I am really excited about that last one...that is once I learn how to make it work) What did you get for Christmas?

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!!

Take that Sallie!

I have officially made my last payment to one Mrs. Sallie Mae!!! (at least for now...) She may be slightly upset since I paid it off about 20 years early, but I am super excited!! (And raising the roof like Michael Scott)

Have a great day!

High Heel Initiative

I want to be one of those girls who wears heels...regularly. The problem is I do not, and they hurt my feet. Inspired by Kate's awesome style, my increasingly great shoe collection and my friends wedding where after 10 minutes wearing a 2" heel I wanted to die and my feet hurt for 2 days after, I have decided to make a change. I read this article 2 days after the wedding about heel hangovers and one of the tips they gave was to wear medium heels regularly (about 5 days a week) and after a day of the super high ones wear flats. I thought I could try and do this. So the High Heel Initiative was born! Last Wednesday, however was the fiorst time I actually followed through and wore heels to work. Since then I have only worn flats 2 days! Oh, the best part is so far my feet have only hurt once, and it was just a little! I have also gotten tons of compliments on the shoes, some that I have had since college and never worn to work...or anywhere in the last few years. My new shoes are working out great too, most are pretty comfortable and they look good. If I keep this up I hope that not only will my posture and style improve, but that by Christmas time I can whip out my sweet Christmas shoes for parties and not keep asking to leave early due to the pain below the ankles.

It will be hard to keep this in D.C. next week...maybe I will only pack heels? No, that sounds like bad idea. Are there any new initiatives you are trying? Let me know, especially if it has a fantastic code name.

Now Hear This

So I read this today and Jennie and I have a lot in common. Maybe not in the job department but in the music department. I too get a lot of joy from introducing people to new music that they love, I have a passion for listening to music, loved making mix tapes (which I still do, except on CD not tapes) and basically everything else she wrote. Although I do have to say that I hit the 10,000 song mark a few years ago...not that I am bragging...ok, maybe a little. I thought I might be the only person out there like me but I am not...maybe me and Jennie can be friends. We'll see what she recommends over the next few weeks first.

I will leave you with a version of "Pumped Up Kicks" they have been playing on SiriusXM for the past month or so that I really like:

Also check this one out :)

iThankyou

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me." - Steve Jobs

I have always been a fan of Steve Jobs, even before I became a Mac. His passion has always been inspiring...and on occasion has made me cry (see Pixar story).
He will be missed.

First Friday: Wedding Edition

So last weekend I was in a wedding which marks my first wedding as a non-flower girl. (not that I am not still willing to be a flower girl...Katie and Jenny...) I was a bridesmaid for the first time and it was killer! Was the dress expensive? Yes. Will I wear it again? No. Did it take up my time and cause me to stress out? Yes. Was it AWESOME? YES!! It was worth every minute of stress to help relieve stress from the couple, it was worth every late night to help them make this wedding perfect and it was worth the cost of the dress to be a part of their big day. The day was as close to perfection as humanly possible and I hope the newlyweds thought so too. Were there moments of craziness and things that did not go as planned? Yes there was, but that is going to happen everyday...especially on the wedding day.

The decorations were beautiful and all done by the bride, the dress was gorgeous and the reception was a blast!! There was a photo booth that was sweet, great music (only one short chunk of slow dancing) and the people there were really fun. Oh, and the pointing was re-dic-ulous!!!! So all-in-all I hope every wedding I am in will be as fun as this one!!

So you want to hear some of the crazyness that happend? Here ya go:

• The church had another event that night so we got stared down during pictures by the wedding coordinator (who is no joke...she means business! We started the wedding 2 min early!!) and she kept moving closer and closer to rush us along. 
• The pointing caught on so much that the kids in the bridal party were doing it all the time, the bridal party dance was a sea of pointing and by the end of the night the entire reception was like a pointingpalooza. It was the best.
•  We ate stranger's cold pizza...they left it there and we ate it. When they came back for it we were still eating it. We couldn't help ourselves, no food place it open past midnight, lame I know, except Taco Bell and that was a disaster for the few who went.
• We took pictures in "urine" soaked mud, the downtown streets, and in a park...the bottoms of our dresses are done for. (Especially once you add in our attack of the chocolate trays at the reception because we were so hungry.)
• One thing I will take away for future wedding experiences...our dress had TOO MUCH dress. By reception when we kicked off the heels, had to maneuver in between two head tables and dance, there was just way too much dress to take care of. Not to mention how hot they were. Oh, but they did "bustle" in the back. Yeah right...because of there being way TOO MUCH dress those lasted about 5 min. In 90% of reception pictures I am awkwardly finding new ways to hike up my dress, pointing (of course), and throwing modesty to the wind.
• In line for the photo booth you saw some crazy things go down behind the curtain. We yelled at two guys trying to hurry them up and they said "Wait, we have to get dressed" 
• Most of us did not get cake until the after party in the hotel lobby...where we ate it with our hands in huge chunks on our "plates" which were the strangers pizza boxes.

There are a few of the amazing things that happened that are blog appropriate. It was one amazing weekend!! And remember...

When in doubt? POINT! IT! OUT!

I love mail...and music

So I have been getting a lot of mail lately- which is awesome!! Coupons, catalogs, invites, of course junk mail, and LOTS of packages!! Most of these packages are from my online shopping for said invites, my never ending search for a nice dress and nude heels and work stuff. Yesterday I got a package that I assumed was the latest pair of nude heels (I did end up getting those latter that night and once again they are a no go..boo). I took the box downstairs and opened it up and saw a bunch of brown paper and the Led Zeppelin box set. I was real confused. I knew what box set it is before I even finished opening the box since I used to work at the coolest independent record store ever Finders, and I had got it for my brother when it came out. All I was thinking was, "Why would anyone from Finders be sending me this?" Wait it is not from Finders. "Why would my brother want a second copy?" Not his...although it turns out he does want a second copy. "How is this mine?" After further inspection...and more confusion...I finally figured it out.

A couple months ago I pledged to support a movie on Kickster that Colin Hanks was making about Tower Records. Now, I never grew up with a Tower Records near by but I do support record stores-hence my dream job growing up being working at an awesome record store. I also like Colin Hanks. He was great in Orange County, The Good Guys etc. and he is so much like his dad in so many awesome ways that I keep telling my brother that if Tom ever retires we already have someone to take his place. So anyway, I supported the movie and this box of goodies is my thank you!

One thing that added to the confusion is I thought it was supposed to be 5 albums (vinyl) and was really disappointed to see CDs...but after I looked through everything (and stopped being ridiculous) I am super excited about it! There are two CDs from artists I do not own anything by: INXS and Lead Belly. But both are on my running list of things to check out and buy. Then we have, as already mentioned, the Led Zeppelin box set that contains every one of their albums. I own nothing of theirs either, but again, they are on that list and they are Led Zeppelin sooo, awesome. Finally there were 3 vinyl albums: Ramones- Rocket to Russia, Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins- Bean Bags, and Prince- 1999. Really this could not have worked out much better! I have some Prince vinyl, but not 1999, and I would have never thought to buy Ramones on vinyl but I love them! Plus I am a fan of some good Jazz so I will give Bean Bags a listen.

All in all I say this is the best package I have received in the mail since my surprise snapfish book from Jessie. So if anyone wants to send me music grab bags of awesome go ahead! Man, I do love the mail.

(Music grab bags would be an awesome thing to exchange through the mail...hmmm. Anyone interested?)

My lastest obsession combined with a classic fav...

I have always loved getting mail. Even bills. I just love getting things with my name on it out of our stack of mail, especially if I was not expecting it. Also, within the past 9 or 10 months I have also taken to nail polish. My collection has grown from 1 color for DM (Purple of course) and these two cheap random ones I found while cleaning to almost a whole drawer in my wheely cart. So, when I stumbled upon this deal I got a little excited. You take a short quiz, then they customize a little monthly set of stuff for you for over half off the retail, and send it to you in the mail for free! (as in free shipping) You can even request different stuff if you do not like it, send it to a friend for a month or two and cancel whenever you want. Plus with the code 2011FB you get another $5 off. What What! So, some of you out there I hope you like nail polish because one month this may be yours!

This is my manicure for the Paul McCartney concert using one of my favorite brands of nail polish Deborah Lippmann in Candy Shop!

I am back, kind of.

So I got back late last week from one amazing mission trip where I took 11 youth and 4 adults to Cincinnati to serve. It. Was. Awesome. I am so proud of my group, and also to be honest I am proud of myself. This was the first experience I have ever had being the sole leader and planner of a trip like this, and I did very well! However, after a whirlwind month I am beat. I still need to recover...I am trying to stay awake now as I write this, it is not going so well.

Anyway- I am so excited because tonight I will be seeing Thee Paul McCartney LIVE!! What! What! I am nervous about the drive home...pray that I can stay awake...but am super excited to see this living legend! I will let you know how it goes next week! Until then enjoy these awesome videos and a random picture:

How could any man handle the regaleness of that up do? Grace Kel-ley. Grace Kel-Ly.