adele

Last week I was in a movie mood, so I rented When In Rome from Family Video. The movie was a happy little chick flick, but nothing mentionable. The music played during it however -- pretty amazing. Check out this classic, Make You Feel My Love, sung by Adele Adkins. It's glorious.

antebellum

Lady Antebellum put out a new CD on Monday! Just in time for me to have some new tunes for second semester. Which is turning out to be a life saver, because I have an hour and a half break twice on Tuesdays and Thursdays during which I haven't had much to do yet without homework. I'm sure that'll change later in the semester, but meanwhile I'm thankful for my iPod and the entertainment it provides. I'm really really loving the internet feature, so great to be able to check things out online without having to lug my laptop around with me all the time.

But back to Lady A. I love these guys. They're soulful country and so, so good. Favorite songs on their new cd:

1) American Honey :: a song about growing up "on the side of the road, where the church bells ring and strong love grows", and all the things that life brings when you grow up in a small town and wanting more than that small town. All the changes when you move from the slow paced world to a city, and how a lot of people miss the simplicity of a small town and wind up back there.

2) Something 'Bout a Woman :: typical country song about the guy loving every little thing about the girl. When she's wearing pajamas when no makeup on. But really, does that ever get old? It's sweet, and the harmonies are super tight.

3) If I Knew Then :: kind of about how not knowing everything is a good thing. Goes back over a relationship and all the possible mistakes they made, but wondering if they were mistakes or if it was supposed to happen that way. "If I knew then what I know now would I fall in love?" -- sometimes not knowing what you're doing is what makes things fall into place the way they're supposed to.

Also, fun tidbit. This is an exceptionally tall group. Charles Kelley is the tallest at 6'6", Hillary Scott is in the 6'1" range plus heels, and then Dave Haywood is a normally tall guy, around 6'2", 6'3". Poor guy looks like a shrimp compared to Hillary and Charles though!

empty

"I know how I can stray,

and how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of this selfishness inside,

every vain ambitition and the poison of my pride.

And every foolish things my heart holds to,

Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with You."

--Empty Me, Chris Sligh

A while ago I sang this song in church...and it makes me happy. But before it makes me happy, it breaks me down. It's what all the Jesus songs that I love do. They point out exactly what I'm doing wrong -- but because they do, and by the grace of God, I am able to change that. I'm able to fix it. Often times only temporarily until God points out once again how quickly I can rely on myself instead of Him, but slowly, I am learning.

I'm a girl who likes to plan. I have plans for my life, and when something changes those plans, I am not happy. I forget all about things happening because God wants them to, and I get swept up in MY plans for MY life...and even though I know without a doubt that God's plans are better, I'm angry that my plans are being changed.

It's ridiculous. It's like having a flashlight in a pitch black cave and choosing not to turn it on because I think I'm better off without it.

It's also why this song make me happy. Because when I'm relying on myself, I feel lost. But when I remember that I shouldn't be, that I should be letting go of all the things I let get inbetween me and God, and I make Him number one in my life again? Things are so much easier.

So I'm presenting this as a challenge, to me and to you. Go read those words again. What's getting in between you and God? Your pride? Your selfishness? Thinking that you know where your life should go and what you should be doing in every decision better than He does? Someone or something else? Whatever it is...just let it go. There's no way it can possibly be better than what God has created you specifically for.

finest

Matthew West. Finest Hour. Excellent, excellent song.

The king of contradiction strikes again.
You said the last to cross the finish line will win
and the beggars will be millionaires someday
and humble ones are gonna have their say.
Well all my friends are gone now,
all my money's gone now.
And all my pride is gone now,
and if what you say is true now,

this will be my finest hour,
this will be my finest hour.

Well everything is opposite down here.
The strong survive and the rest just disappear.
But Your philosophy is more unique,
You say I'll be stronger when I'm weak.

This will be my finest hour,
this will be my finest hour.

It's 2am and sleepless,
I'm wide awake and restless.
I don't know what my deal is,
I've never felt so helpless.
I don't understand it,
I don't think I'll ever comprehend it.
It's so hard to conceive it,
so I guess I'll just believe it.

This will be my finest hour,
this will be my finest hour.

romance

Fall makes me think romance. It's the bundling up and snuggling thing I think. I would be cheesy and say it's because that's when I started dating Phil, but I've always felt that way in fall, so sadly it doesn't specifically have to do with him. Though he does help.

Lately I've been listening to romantic music to go with my fall romantic mood, and looking at other photographer's wedding and engagement pictures. Soaking up a little wedding bliss bundled up at my desk. Most photographers have music to go along with their portfolio online, and one of them had this song. I downloaded it immediately. It's beautifully romantic and perfect for wedding pictures.

We Are Man and Wife, Michelle Featherstone

Apparently it was on One Tree Hill when Nathan and Haley got married, but I don't remember that--oops! All the videos I found include pictures of them.

everything

I love human videos. I always have, it's like a mini-musical. Puts human faces and emotions into a song. This one is a song by Lifehouse called Everything...and it's so good. I cry everytime, right about 4:41. It's such a perfect example of God's love for us and how much He's fighting on our side, even when we won't acknowledge Him. I love it!

countryusa

I was out of commission the last week while I was at CountryUSA. Talk about a crazy summer week filled with no sleep and lots of concerts and screaming! It was so fun, and so exhausting.

Some of the headliners included Montgomery Gentry, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley...all of them putting on excellent shows. I really do love country music. Taylor Swift was a headliner too...but honestly not that great. Her songs are more hang-out-with-your-girlfriends type songs...and I was with as many guys as girls. She made a valiant effort, it just didn't do it for me.

My favorite group was Lady Antebellum...they weren't a headliner but I know every single one of their songs and am kind of a little bit in love with them. I always enjoy groups just a little itty bit more than solo singers because I get lost in the harmonies. That's the choir geek in me.

When I got home my mom asked me if I still think I'm compatible with my sweet boyfriend after spending a whole week with him, and I was happy to report that I totally still think so. I think I could be around him forever and not get sick of him. We work well around each other...I had school work I needed to get done, he had Russian to study...we were with each other but we both knew we had other things to attend to. I need that...someone who needs my constant attention will wind up with attention from my fist.

...okay, so not really, but it'd drive me nuts. It was nice to realize that we do really get along quite famously even when we're ridiculously overtired and cranky. I mean, I'm sure that won't always be the case, but at least, for the most part, we're 'compatible'. Such discoveries make me happy.

rainy

This picture makes me think of being a little girl and wearing a Sunday dress and totally ignoring my mother and jumping in the puddles and playing and making a mess of myself.

...except that never happened. I so wasn't that kid. I was the well-behaved little child, and the child who didn't like getting her pretty things dirty. Put me in "shed clothes" at my dad's, and I'd walk through mud and scoop dog poo like nothing. But at mom's house, in my pretty clothes, I didn't want to get dirty.

Today, however, all I want to do is put on a springy dress and run around outside and get full of grass and mud and water. Perhaps the stress of finals and being a responsible college student makes me long for simplicity.

Here's some simplicity for you...easy breezy jazz by two talented young people. Meet Grace & Julian. I saw them in Madison last year before a MadHatter's concert, and loved them. Check out their song Raindrops!

Image compliments of Vector Graphic.