Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Needtobreathe and the Longing for Authenticity


"Authenticity" is kind of a buzzword in the blog world right now. It's a little bit exciting to think that people are starting to tire of the glossy, perfect, Photoshopped worlds that have taken over the internet, that we're longing for something deeper and more real. I have had some great conversations with fellow bloggers about maintaining authenticity, and how frustrating it is to compare your everyday life with other people's highlight reels. It's a strange thing, because in some ways those perfectly constructed worlds are inspiring, but when you're struggling it can be the death blow to your ego. I've lost a couple of my favorite blogs to the feeling that the owner had of just not being able to compare. I hate that. I mean, I read some of those "perfect" blogs, and I like them okay, but they never hit my top ten.

I like messy people. 

I like people who struggle sometimes. I like depressed people, anxious people, people who like nerdy things (and not in that ironic hipster way), people who don't fit in, people who are confused about God, people who have no sense of direction in life, people who are afraid.

I've always liked the weirdos, the sinners, the ragamuffins, the quirky ones.

And I've never really known why. 


UntitledA couple weeks ago, I went to a Needtobreathe concert, which is really nothing new--I've lost count of how many of their shows I've been to over the past few years. They played some new songs, though, and somehow hearing them live let me focus on the lyrics in a way that I hadn't since buying their album a few weeks ago. After Bear, the lead singer (who, by the way, has the best voice of all time) talked about their own recent struggles as a band, he sang a song that came out of it called "Wasteland."

When he hit these lyrics, I had tears in my eyes:

All of these people I meet
It seems like they're fine
Yeah in some ways I hope that they're not
And their hearts are like mine.

That's is, isn't it? All of this longing for authenticity is more than a desire to see things the way they really are--it's a need to connect. It's a need to see other people, especially people we admire, and realize that we aren't really that different.

That's why I like messy people.

Their hearts are like mine.


Friday, May 9, 2014

7 Things Making Me Happy Right Now

1) This cover of Toto's "Africa." Seriously, these two guys are playing in a random Utah pizza joint, and Justin Bieber is famous? There is no justice in the world.


2) THIS. Also, we do not have HBO, so we have only seen through season three of GOT, and if you tell me any spoilers I will hunt you down.  



3) This double-exposure. Actually, the whole series. You can see more here
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4) These shoes--although they would make me even happier if they were in my closet: 

5) This song. The whole album, actually.



6) This happened a few weeks ago and I am still freaking out about it.

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7) This (blurry) video of our little guy. It makes me giggle no matter what kind of day I've had.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Life Lately

There's something about being so busy during the week that makes me a little bit possessive of my weekends. I'm introverted anyway, so being around people for 10-11 hours a day Monday through Thursday wipes me out, and I tend toward hermithood the rest of the week. Now that we have Henry, it's even worse, because I feel a tad bit guilty leaving him alone when I have the option to stay home (especially since he's still a little guy and I feel like it's important to establish a strong bond with him early). It's only been a couple weeks, so we're still finding the balance/new normal around here. Even still, I managed to get out a bit last week, so here are the simple highlights of a wonderful week. 

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One of my favorite parts of last week was a Sunday afternoon craft session with Layne. That girl is so talented it's crazy. She makes the most gorgeous weavings and just generally can run circles around me in the creativity department. Love getting together with her.



Thursday was the first night of Needtobreathe's Rivers in the Wasteland tour, and it kicked off in Springfield! Needtobreathe has been one of my favorite bands for years now (I'm honestly not sure how many times I've seen them in concert), so it was super exciting to see the first show of the tour, and to hear some songs played for the first time live! Seeing it with friends (like Sarah, my NTB-concert-buddy!) just made it better. Those guys just make me feel all the feels during their shows.


The concert was amazing, but I definitely slept in the next day. And maybe took a nap with Henry, too. I'm too old to be out past midnight, apparently. ;)
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Oh, the library book sale. Twice a year, our local library sells off their excess books (and some donations) and it's glorious! I walked away with all of those books for less than $30. INSANITY.




I finally stopped by Legacy Bagelry--I know, where have I been? It was delicious, and I also met the lovely Madison. I've been a fan of this gal's blog for a long while. Her last post on vulnerability is just spot on, and she is just as sweet in person as she seems to be online.


Saturday was Free Comic Book Day, so Tyler and I made a couple stops and ended up with a few comics and some art. I snagged this adorable print from (and finally got to meet!) Kendra. Poor Jon Snow. Hashtag Game of Thrones forever. I picked up this print (and its male counterpart) from Ryan Wheaton, too. Yay talented local artists!


Free Comic Book Day also happens to be National Scrapbooking Day, so we stopped by my favorite local scrapbook store on the way home. They were having a sale + free goodie bags for the first 200 people. Five goodie bags had golden tickets for big prize totes with over $100 worth of stuff in them, and apparently #72 was a lucky number, because I won and I never win anything. Woo hoo! Looks like I have lots of scrappin' to do!

What have you been up to this week? 

Monday, May 5, 2014

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

I don't know about you, but Mother's Day snuck up on me this year--it's less than a week away! I was browsing around Etsy for gifts for my mom, and thought I would compile a little list of last-minute gift ideas...just in case you're scrambling like I am. ;)


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