2 weekends, 2 whales

I love whales.

More specifically,

I love

The Lighthouse and the Whaler

and

Freelance Whales.

A couple weekends ago, two of my friends from music school came to town with their band, The Lighthouse and the Whaler. The show was ridiculous. Hands down, they're one of my favorite bands. And I get to be friends with them!

Then last weekend, another one of my favorite bands came! Freelance Whales. It was my second time seeing them in concert. Musically, they're much tighter than 2 years ago.

I love how both bands had all the members rotating to different instruments.

Now if only Noah and the Whale was here this weekend...
or even Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Check out my favorite whale sounds here:

Scenes from Summertime

It's been about 75 degrees here everyday, but this is our first day in the 50's! I'm sure it'll warm up again, but for now it seems we must say goodbye to summer.

Oh and one more...

He gives rest to the weary.

Is that a bedtime promise?

I usually think of that verse in terms of sleeping. Sometimes I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, praying: "God you give rest to the weary!"

But is that really what God meant? That he would help us fall asleep?

Think about this-
How do you unwind? For a lot of people, watching TV is the default after a long day of school or work. It's just habit to grab some food, lay on the couch, and watch TV for the night.
But have you ever spent 5 hours catching up on your favorite TV show?

If you have, you probably didn't walk away from that feeling refreshed and rejuvinated.
Yet technically, you were resting for 5 hours. Why is that?

To find REST we must be RESTORED. To find true restoration, we must rest in God.

So be intentional about your free time.
It takes more initiative to spend time with God, but it is always more refreshing.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

     He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

     he refreshes my soul. 

He guides me along the right paths 

    for his name’s sake. 

 Even though I walk

    through the darkest valley, 

I will fear no evil, 

    for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff,

    they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; 

    my cup overflows.

 Surely your goodness and love will follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

    forever.    Psalm 23

in Me

via



I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Moonlight through the pines

For all the grief I give these Southerners, I have to be honest. I have always loved the South.

My favorite vacations as a kid were when we visited my cousins in South Carolina. They lived in a big house on Wadmalaw Island.. just a couple houses down from the white house in The Notebook. 

We would jump around on their front porch and eat honeysuckles all day. 

            Because down here... everything is sweeter and greener.

The thing about God is when He says something, He means it. So, when He says He has a plan to prosper us, He has a plan to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11). I've had my doubts.. really serious doubts. But, since being here, I'm in awe of the way God orchestrates different aspects of our lives to bring about His plan. When you open your eyes, His fingerprints are everywhere. That's how I know I'm exactly where I'm meant to be.

I was reminded of all this the other morning when I snapped this picture. 

Georgia on My Mind has always been one of my favorite songs. And here I am. 

...Georgia Georgia

             a song of you

                 comes in sweet at clear

                     as moon light through the pines...

Army Lives

This last weekend I got to visit Fort Benning, GA where two of my best friends from college are currently stationed.

I'm not going to pretend like I know anything about the army.. I just know Bryce likes tanks..so something about an armory division.

Courtney, my darling friend, is turning into quite the army wife. 

She's been living on post only since January, but already she is reaching out to new army wives, and helping them to feel at home!

freshmen.

As I get older, I see more and more that my friends are finding their strengths. 

And every time, I'm so inspired.. even by the little things. 

Two of the biggest ways she inspires me is in her consistency and her smells.

 Courtney has always had the best smelling dorm, apartment, and house. Every room has a different scent. I can't keep up with them all. Her shampoos, her food, everything somehow has an amazing smell to it. I on the other hand never think much about smells.. it's always an afterthought. But after a weekend with Courtney, I couldn't help but whip out my body spray again..

She's also fiercely loyal. I guess that's a good trait to have as an army wife. She's a perfect hostess, and loves reaching out to new people. As an onlooking introvert, I definitely have some things to learn.

One of the other things I love about Courtney is her puppies. 

She has TWO. Roxie and Rylie.

Rylie is a black lab/border collie mix. She sleeps a lot, but she's cute.

Roxie has a ridiculous underbite. It gets me every time. She's also a spaz, and I love her.

Every morning when I opened my door, they sprinted at me like babies on Christmas. 

Made me feel like Santa. 

a little action shot for you

We took them down by the river walk. It was 90 degrees. I hadn't planned on that in March. Northern girls are always prepared.. for frostbite. I brought my sweatshirt, long sleeves, and boots. Hello. 

After being in a new place with all new people, it's nice sometimes to be with someone who knows you. Someone who knows your favorite shows and favorite foods. Someone who's been by your side for a few years now. And someone you hope will always be there. 

I'm going to miss them when they head off to Texas! 

to me

After my last post, I got to thinking a lot about posers and wannabes.
I got to thinking about all those types of people that we really want to be..
We want to be the smartest and the most beautiful. We want to create the greatest music and the next big invention. We want to stay ahead of the trends, but possess all the wisdom of the people before us.
We want to be powerful, influential, significant, and popular.

Having said that, when did God become uncool? When did he become our curse words, our punching bag, and our punchline? When did he become our sugar daddy santa clause?

We struggle day after day to be something we just aren't.
But you know why we're not? Because He is.

He is the smartest, all knowing.
He is the most radiantly beautiful. The sight of his hem was enough to turn Moses' hair gray.
He is the most musical and the most innovative. Every symphony, every great invention, was God's idea first. He created minds to create. He is eternal and all powerful.
He does not just influence. He creates.. every human, every galaxy.
He is so significant, that His creation by nature must be significant.
He has the power to be popular. He definitely is famous.
But what he really wants is to be personal, to be relational to me..  to you.




...there can only be one best, and He's it.
The coolest.

So let's keep our perspective here.





And as promised, I must report that I saw a hipster in the mall.