Brrr...

Today was freezing AND we had a teensy bit of "precipitation." You know what that means! The whole town shut down! I love living in a town that freaks out about a little cold weather and uses any excuse to pull out fancy titles such as "Ice Storm 2004." So, today I reaped the wonderful benefits of that--school was closed! Which meant I got to sleep in, spend a wonderful morning sitting around in my PJs, and then finally got to catch up on some of my lesson plans in the afternoon. Throw in a little fun with friends at the end of the day and YAY! I needed this oh-so-lovely day! It was like a mini vacation.

Well speaking of mini vacations, sorry I haven't been on the blog-o-sphere for a few weeks! Lots of things have been going on though! The biggest thing is that I started Student Teaching! It's wonderful! My mentor teacher is simply amazing and her teaching style is similar to mine/what I aspire to, so it's very easy to mesh in and work with her class. My only complaint about student teaching is that I hate having to go to bed so early! :) I miss being a night owl.

Weddings on the weekends have been a little draining, and my last one until May is this coming weekend! I'm so glad I made the wise decision of not taking any more weddings until I graduated. I'm not sure if I could have handled it all! But come May, I'm booked with weddings for almost every weekend until the end of August! I'm so thrilled and blessed. It's going to be busy, and I just can't wait!

Let's see what else is new? Well I don't want to bore you to death with in-depth musings. Life is good. I've been re-reading the Christy Miller college series (Cherith, that's for you!) and they are like my little escape after a day full of crazy kiddos. Want some good music? My new favs are Brooke Fraser's album Albertine, Taylor Swift's new CD Fearless, Sufjan Steven's Michigan album, and Coldplay's Viva la Vida!

Well it's bed time for me! G'night!

It's about time for another update...December-style!

Wearing: New clothes! Exciting story (and huge blessing): I spontaneously drove to Ft. Worth a couple of days ago to shop for student teaching clothes!! I've never gone shopping like that before! My parents blessed my socks off by giving me some money to buy new "professional" clothes for student teaching. Thanks Mum & Dad!! :) :)

Listening to: The Best of Bardot by Brigitte Bardot. "If you are a happy person don't pass up this gem" said an iTunes review. Hm...I'm a happy person...and they were totally right. I love it! Warning: It's French Pop. Yikes, I feel lame for even writing that. But it is very happy music! I find this strange enjoyment from listening to music in other languages :)

Looking at: Our glowing Christmas tree.

Just finished eating: A candy cane off of said Christmas tree.

Watching: The Jon and Kate Plus 8 winter episodes! I have gotten shamelessly into that show! But don't judge...it has really spoken to me and refreshed my perspective on life. 

Happy about: Living in Texas (random?), feeling cozy in my apartment even when it's freezing outside, and a delightful Christmas break. 

Not Happy about: a Dentist appointment in the morning, and knowing that I have no cereal or milk for breakfast in the morning.

Surprising myself: by deciding to cut off my hair! Alright, you've all been warned. Some time within the next two weeks, I'm getting the fateful appointment, cutting my hair, donating it (I'm SO excited about that!! I've never had hair long enough to do that!), and will be short-hair Caroline. Weird.

Ever so excited about: getting my student teaching assignment the other day! Now that I've got the assignment, I'm terribly excited about it! Although it will be hard to ease up on photography for a little bit, I'm excited for the change in focus for a few months.

Okay, that's all for now! Love, love! :)

The top 5 for March! a.k.a The Longest Post in the World!

Sub title for this post: Oh no, I'm a blog slacker!

Instead of blogging this month, I've been taking advantage of the purely lovely warm weather, basking in the sun, taking long drives to the lake, dancing around the house, and staying up too late. Oh yes, and doing school work of course. :) But to make up for my absence, I have some of the coolest things to bring you in this month's edition of le premier cinq. AKA the Top Five! (Can you keep a secret? This is more or less an inspiration post than a Top 5 post...but shhh, don't tell.)

1. Wanting some new tunes for your iPod? Welcome Rue Royale into your life with a big hug and a few high fives! I can't even describe them, you'll just have to listen and be delightfully surprised (if you have music taste that's anything like my own). They have a new album out on iTunes that was just released the day before Valentine's Day! Where have I been!?
2. Yay for gorgeous! Check out the photos for New York Magazine's new airy Spring line. Click on the slideshow.

3. Hello J. Crew with your inspiring photography and wonderful argyle sweaters made just for Spring. I personally don't have $128 to drop on one, but maybe you do. :)
4. Lines and Shapes connect us. Cool design and I just like this website's line of thought. No pun intended.
...Okay, the pun was intended. I like corny jokes :)

5. Whoever invented the alphabet had no idea what kind of artform they were providing the world with. Make your own or find some inspiration searching "typography" on Etsy! (We all love Etsy!!)

***And just in case you were wondering what I'm up to these days***

Wearing: No make-up. I woke up late for work this morning :)

Listening to: Of course I'm listening to Rue Royale's new stuff!

Eating: A Hershey kiss...wish I could find more around here.

Photoshopping: Pictures for my dad's business website.

Loving: The fact that I got to dress up and go to a ballet last night!

Excited About: A family photo shoot tomorow...first in a while it seems!

Reading: Up on who I should vote for as Prez'08.

Feeling: Like making dumb abbreviations (as made obvious by that "Prez'08" up there).

New Hot Spot: Don't make fun, but the campus library. If I take my mac with me, I can listen to other student's shared music while I study. Not illegal!

Laughing at: Everything Obama is doing for me, like commenting on my blog and folding an origami crane for me. Do yourself a favor and go here. Relax, I don't know who I'm voting for yet. But it's still just funny. Keep refreshing the page to get more of what Obama is doing for you :)

Feeling Special because: My birthday is in March! Oh boy!

Love you all,

CarolineJoy

Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys

Here are the photos! The Homer Hiccolm Show on Valentine's Day!

February's Top 5!

It's finally here!!

1. Not to be trendy, but this girl, Yael Naim, is pretty much amazing. Paris-born and Israel-raised, her music is a beautiful mixture of intimate pop and folk. I'm in love with her style! Of course, she's also the new cool girl in town because her song, "New Soul" is used in the ads for Apple's new MacBook Air (which is pretty dang sweet). Check it out here.

2. Simplicity and Springtime. Celebrate the budding beauty by buying fresh flowers. It doesn't take much!

3. It's no secret I love Loeffler Randall. Now I have even more reason to love it! Meet the Mazzy sandal in all it's effortlessly-chic glory. Unfortunately, these were not made for Target. Instead they are priced somewhere between $230 and $340 (depending on whether or not you find them on sale). But if you must have them, try eBay.

4. Designer Romona Keveza makes a statement in the wedding fashion world with her unique lengths and sweet gowns.

5. And finally...Valentine's Day. If you're one of those people who just hates V-day, has Singles-Awareness-Day parties, and think it was just invented just for greeting card companies...I'm sorry, but you, my friend, are missing out. I know, I know. Valentine's Day just has that cheesy ring to it, but think deeper about it. It's a day to celebrate love! LOVE! And not just romantic love either. Open your eyes and be grateful!

And one more: "Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his LOVE from me!" Psalm 66:20

Who doesn't love Anthropologie?

...And it's cold here again. Man, I was loving that little taste of springtime weather we were enjoying. I confess, I've fallen prey to the marketer's schemes of "promote the next season 4 months before it actually starts." Swimsuits, sandals, and airy decor already? Bring it. I'm excited about Spring! I love the colors, the warmth, the life. Getting outside on that first day when you can smell that it's really Spring...nothing beats it!

I think I'm also super excited about the season's change because so many good things will be happening this summer: Emily&Josh's wedding, Amanda&Kyle's wedding, Trips and such with friends and family, Photography second shoots and jobs, and Pine Cove just to name a few. Usually summers come and I "relax." No more of that! I'm ready to go. :)

Oh! And I have found my new favorite musician (until next week, when I find another ha!). It's One Cell in the Sea by A Fine Frenzy. This girl is delightful! Self taught pianist, sweet soprano vocals, and extremely chill/beautiful/artistic songs.

And here are the "Of-the-day"-s. :)

Quote of the Day: (by my dad) "It's as easy as falling off a log." :) gotta love it!

Funny Thing of the Day: I looked and looked and couldn't find a picture, but Chick-fil-a's new breakfast advertising cracks me up! As a self-proclaimed cereal addict, I just couldn't stop laughing at their fake cereals like "Frosted Monotony" and "Stale O's." Phrases like, "Free block of wood inside!" and "Mmm...Cardboard." and "Now with HALF the flavor!" and "Explosion of Tastelessness!" made me almost fall out of my chair laughing.

Pretty Picture of the Day: Some Pottery Barn green to happify your wintry house, perhaps?

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Word Nonsense

Get ready for exciting news! I ran five miles today and got to go to Starbucks to read and journal for a couple of hours!! Ahh...the joys of Christmas break. I'd like to shake the hand of the man who advocated a month long vacation from college because of Christmas. Genius guy, really.

So, on the topic of geniuses, I feel that I must admit something. I was trying to come up with the word "advocated" to use in that last paragraph, but couldn't think of it, and the word "propagated" hit my brain first. I figured it meant what I wanted it to mean, but decided to look it up on Merriam-Webster just in case. Good thing, haha. If you don't know what propagated means, you should look it up before you ever try to use it as a synonym for "advocated." :)

Today at Starbucks, I got to read my Donald Miller book Searching for God knows What and he apparently likes to throw in big words sometimes. I've dedicated a page of my journal to the big words Don uses (Yes, in case you were wondering, we are on first name basis here), and it's been so much fun to learn new words like pariah and anonymity. I always feel so much smarter when I'm learning new words or reading poetry or classic literature. 

Wedding photos to come...

Song of the day: 1963 by Rachel Yamagata

The Rundown of My Weekend! Get excited!

Here are the words that come to mind when I think about this weekend:


Wow.
What.
A.
Great.
Weekend.


Man, it was good and busy and whirlwind-ish and full of life! That's exciting! Would you like the rundown? Because I'd like to tell you the rundown! We'll start on Saturday because that's when all the excitement happened. I'm in a listing mood, so we'll go with the list format+top 5 format :)


Saturday:
1. First of all, I was off work. That equals "sleep in" which equals "YAY!"
2. I got to second shoot a wedding!! It was a blastin' blast!
3. HSU graduation was Saturday. I didn't get to go but...
4. I got to go to all the after-celebrations!
5. The best was by far getting to hot tub it up with my best friends!

Sunday:
1. I helped my brother lead worship at church and it was a beautiful experience.
2. I took some quick family portraits of Chase's family (and they turned out radtastic!)
3. I had another family portrait shoot! It was beautiful. This family loved each other so much that every picture is oozing with happiness and joy! :) It was so fun (plus there was a baby!).
4. Went to dinner with dear friends. I set my camera on the table and everyone freaked out taking pictures. Try that the next time you go out to eat with friends. You'll get some interesting pictures!
5. All kinds of friends came to the apartment that night and we watched Seinfeld, drank hot chocolate, and played with Ellie (Tino's puppy!). The best part was that the apartment was so messy that it actually felt cozy. How weird is that?

Monday:
1. I was off work AGAIN so I got to sleep in...YAY!
2. Had a dentist appointment...who cares.
3. Ate lunch with Megan at our favorite locale...Chick-fil-a. Yes, it's true!
4. Then we headed back to the apartment and decided to HARDCORE clean it. In the middle of cleaning, Megan said, "Hey Caroline, what if we swapped rooms?" And so we did. Until one in the morning. You might not think moving furniture and cleaning is much fun, but we make it a party!
5. Mr. Davey Davis came to help us too and it was nice to see him since he graduated and is leaving for Dallas soon. Graduating friends are weird. Not the people of course, the fact they are graduating and leaving. :)

Tuesday:
1. So far the greatest moment of today has been ORDERING MY MAC!! Excitement!!

Needless to say, I have quite a few sweet photos to post, but I'll be waiting til my Mac gets here. I'm in the mood travel. My brother is in Canada...Why, oh why can't I go to Canada? Eh?

Song of the day: All My Loving by The Beatles. Video of the day: FREE HUGS!

12 days til Christmas...

...and I haven't done any shopping yet! :) That's just the way it happens for me though. After finals is when I get serious about Christmas shopping. And...oh yeah...I'M DONE WITH FINALS! 18 hour semester: FINISHED! Man, it feels good. Actually, as I'm writing this, I have the worst headache in the world. Earlier today I was whining to Megan wondering why I felt so terrible and her reply was, "Well it probably has something to do with the fact that you're sleep deprived, malnourished, overloaded on coffee, dehydrated..." It just struck me as funny. Isn't it funny how we forget about our physical state when we're concerned with...school.

Okay, no. Not funny. :)

But sweet home here I come! Home is the place where you get better! A mom to feed you, a dad to make you laugh, and too much free time to sleep. Mmmhmmm.

And now for the main reason for this post...

So I wanted to share with all you blog readers out there (and thanks for reading by the way, my blog stats are pretty high for a personal blog and it makes me stinkin' happy!) the music that got me through these weeks. Music is vital to me and I've been blessed to find some AWESOME music recently! Here goes:

*And as a side note, I chose to put links to each artist so you can hear them right now! It always stinks when people recommend music and you read it and forget it. Now you have no excuse- you can hear it and get hooked with no effort on your part! It's all right here!

1. Paramore: Riot! I mentioned them before so you know they are good if they get two blog mentions! A bit punk, with the awesome hardcore girl front singer. Misery Business and When it Rains are my fav songs!

2. Sara Bareilles: Little Voice. Man, what do I say? She's just awesome! Love the piano leads in most of her songs. Every song is sweeeeeet! Vegas, Love Song, One Sweet Love, and Many the Miles are my favs!

3. Hillsong United: All of the Above. Such good worship! This is my favorite album Hillsong has put out because it's a studio album (I don't really enjoy the 2 minutes of clapping where the band plays the same note forever at the end of all the songs on their live albums). :) My two favorite songs are Hosanna and Lead me to the Cross.

4. The Once Soundtrack. Alright, this one took a little time for me to appreciate, but it is very good! I'd call it "weird music." The movie is one of those independent, artistic films and the soundtrack echos that. If you don't feel like getting into all of it, just buy Fallen from the Sky. It's weirdly cool and uses old school keyboards. Whoo!

5. The August Rush Soundtrack. It's got an awesome variety of songs on it and I just love the whole mixture of orchestra music with underground rock.

Things that are comin' up...

Good gracious. I have been a blog-slacker this past week! I apologize for my huge absence recently. School has been kicking my bum...and it will probably continue to until December 13th. I can't wait til it's all over! It's really strange though; this is the first semester where I have close friends graduating or moving. I guess it's hitting that time of life. Hm. I love life though...this semester has been very hard but the good most definitely outweighs the difficult. It's been a semester of making friends. I almost hang out with ACU people now more than HSU people. :) I like to laugh about that irony.

This post will be scrappy, I won't lie. But after December 13th I will have many amazing and wonderful things to post! Here's a few things to watch for:

*My very first bridal session and wedding as a photographer!! Can't wait! They will be sweeeet!

*A second-shot wedding (I'm helping Laci Adkins out)

*A super fun road trip to a surprise location that's AWESOME! I'll be blogging every day to chronicle the event...get ready for your own vicarious adventure. :)

*Oh and most definitely CHRISTMAS and a cool, cool countdown with tons of fun ideas to celebrate the best season of the freakin' year!

Maybe a few other surprises will be thrown in along the way too :) For now, I'll leave you with the band that's getting me through finals. PARAMORE!! They are amazing! A little on the punk side with the hardcore front girl singer, every song on their CD Riot is so good! My favs: Misery Business, When it Rains, We are Broken, and Hallelujah. The other super-cool thing about this band is that they are all Christians and their lyrics are profoundly spiritual, but they are a secular band and all over MTV. Yay for Christians putting superb music out there to reach the lost!

Hope you guys all survive finals too. :)

Yesterday since the band and I never took real pictures, we played around instead...and here's a few of the results.

I think Tino was trying to make Jordan feel awkward. Play, Tino, play. And watch out for trains.Somebody stole my camera at one point and got a shot of me half playing the djimbe, half looking at something on Russell's computer. Hello Andy! Jordan hung himself...on a coat hook. How desperately sad. They all have such a "band" look about them...I think it's the hair.

Anybody want to take a guess as to what's going on here? I didn't think so...

Yay for friends who are okay with taking silly pictures all afternoon! :)

Much love,

Caroline

P.S. I got to go to the Shane and Shane concert on Wednesday and it was beyond wonderful! Afterwards was great too because Megan, Davey, and I went to eat at Bueno which turned into sitting there for two hours talking and laughing. YAY!

November's Top 5!

Am I seriously already writing another Top 5? This month flew!! Okay, well here's the Top 5 for November (Top 5 is made up anything that catches my eye if you were wondering.)

1. Raise your hand if you were looking for a PLAID coat this winter! Look no further than American Eagle! They even come in different colors and have a detachable hood. You can bet your bottom dollar that I asked my parents for this one for Christmas. :)

2. Chilly? Go buy some really cute thick tube socks (or knee socks), pour in a few cups of long grain rice, sew the end shut and you've got yourself a new best friend: a heatsock! Once you make yours, put it in the microwave (NOT the oven) for 1 or 2 minutes. The things stay warm forever! I use mine (or, um...actually my roommate's) when I go to bed to keep my feet warm. They also feel great on your neck (or anywhere else). You'll have your own little heating pad- no plugs required!

3. I love free stuff. And I love Mars Hill Church in Seattle. So it stands to reason that I love their free podcast on iTunes! Rob Bell is an amazing teacher, and I'm so excited about his sermon lineup for Christmas! Make sure you subscribe by December- it will be a four week Advent series (sermons by week will be: Do Not Be Afraid, Joy, Glory, and the Peace of God). What a way to get ready for the glorious celebration of Christmas!

4. Looking for a sweet gift or something to make stellar invitations? Look no further than Angela Adams! These stationary designs are simple and balanced, but retro-fun and colorful! Totally mix and match-- anything goes! I especially appreciate her little slogan, "Shouldn't you be inspired by the thing that you use everyday?" :)

5. Ready for some ultra-lounge Christmas music? Grab a copy of Christmas Cocktails-- some of the jazzy-est and most classic Christmas songs ever. The best part? It's on iTunes! More good news? There are three (maybe more) volumes, so you won't get tired of the same ol' songs. Another Christmas music recommendation: Michael Buble's 5 song EP "Let it Snow!"

There ya go!

On a more heartfelt note, it's been a rough past couple of weeks for me dealing with stress and school, and I'm sure it's been that way for lots of other people out there. It's just that time of the semester when everyone seems exhausted. I was flipping through my Bible the other night and came across these few verses that spoke peace to me, and reminded me that we have a heavenly home that we will soon see. This is a truth that cannot dim: I will see God!

Behold I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered...but be glad and rejoice in what I will create. For I will take delight in my people. The sound of weeping will be heard no more. Never again will there be an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not live out his years. Isaiah 65:17-20 (a bit paraphrased)

Much love,

Caroline

Inspirations! Kareem Iliya, J. Crew, and Across the Universe

I've decided I want to start sharing things I find that inspire my artsy side with all you blog readers out there. First up, this is a little random, but I found that I really enjoyed looking at all this cool, silhouetted, fashion art by Kareem Iliya. Definitely not something you'd see everyday. I also loved that her website is so simple and you can look at everything without having to click millions of buttons and wait for load time :) Check it out!!



Second is freaking J. Crew. I'm in love with them. Too bad I can't afford 'em. But if you want some free inspiration, sign up for their catalogue! Seriously awesome photography, amazing locations, sweet fashion ideas...perfect. Not to mention, did you know J. Crew designs wedding dresses?! When I get married, I want one!


Third and last is the movie "Across the Universe." Wow. Ok, so just know it is a little trippy and weird so if you're not up for that, wait til you're in the mood. But the music and cinematography is SO FASCINATING! And...be warned...you will need the soundtrack. :)

That's it for the inspirations this time! Enjoy the end of October! Hope you have a great day. :)

Sweet Surprises From the Lord

Hi friends!

The Lord blessed the socks off me tonight! Tonight was "Fields of Faith" a sort of huge youth rally out at the football stadium where bands play and stuff like that. I wasn't planning on going, but on my way home from my parent's house, I decided to just drive by and see if I could hear the music. I'm kinda a dork like that, I know. Anyway, I realized Branch was playing so I stopped the car and got out to just stand at the fence for a minute. Everyone else was on the other side of the football stadium so I was by myself.

Then this dad and two little kids walked up to the fence because I guess the kids were curious as to what was going on (they were riding bikes around). I could hear the dad explaining was going on and reminding the kids about Jesus. I figured the kids were so young that they hadn't accepted Christ yet, and it was like you could see the love and joy this dad had in training up his boys to love the Lord. Plus they just looked like they were having a fun bike ride anyway. It was so encouraging and wonderful. Plus Branch had just started playing a new favorite song of mine...so yay!

I decided to go ahead and walk around to the side of the stadium where all the youth kids were and watch the show for a bit. That was a blessing too. I always have moments with God when I show up to something I wasn't planning on going to, or something I'm not really a part of. I guess that's just because it's like I sneak in the back and surprisingly enjoy it with my God...it's just me and Him for a little while no matter how many people are around. Hope that makes sense.

Also, I got to get Branch's new CD which is incredible! Since their CD release party a few weeks back, I've wanted to get that CD but they don't have it on iTunes...and that's pretty much my only means of music...CDs are so old school :). But I bought it! The one single time I have a check with me!! NEVER EVER EVER do I carry checks or cash...I guess cause I'm a poor college kid who carries the tiniest purse you've ever seen; but I definitely had a random check with me tonight! YAY!

So, good surprise blessings tonight. God is good.

P.S. Today it actually felt like Fall outside!!!!!!

Just writing a 10 second update here so you know I'm still alive:

Exciting things are happening!

I got to go to the most amazing piano recital EVER last night. Great job, Lisa!! Pretty sure when I have free time, I'll be trying to get all my high school piano skills back! I love being inspired!

I'm taking some h-o-t senior portraits this week!

I'm also taking sick band press shots for Look to the Sky. Two words: Bubble Wrap.

I love my friends!

Ok, I promise there will be a legit blog entry soon PLUS some stellar photos! Keep watching!!

Peace:Love:Friday

Whew! I crammed all the fun of my weekend into last night...and I'm tired. :)

I got off work and went to buy the much anticipated, saved for, straight leg jeans! Probably a week ago, I thought they were the worst looking things on the planet. But then something happened and all of a sudden I thought they were awesome! So I rocked 'em last night with full confidence. Haha. Anyway, then I met up with Jen at Tuscany's to do a bit of "homework"...which really meant talking.

Later, JJackson and I went to the Lindsey Kane concert up at HSU which was WONDERFUL and refreshing! She's so awesome and man, she has a killer voice! Then we met up at Chase's with a rather large group to play Catan. We had so much fun and it was so great to see all those people I hadn't seen all week. They are crazy! Can I just say that I probably played the best two rounds of Catan I've ever played last night?! The first game I had 8 points and the second game I had 9!! So close to winning (at 10 points)! I love my friends. So blessed.

Hope you have good Saturdays!

PS I ate dinner at 3:00 AM last night. Wow.

The Rundown (+ a few extras for you!)

Well, it was another successful weekend! Here's the rundown:

Friday: Went to Branch's CD release concert and then took my final picture for Blu's contest (which I did not win by the way...bummer).
Saturday: Meg and I relaxed and watched half of "Ever After" until 8, when we decided to get all pretty and go to Chris Norwood's CD release concert (it was so chill and wonderful!...made me want to go to Austin), then we played around on campus being dorks, then met up with Tino, Russel, and Megan to go to dessert at Johnny Carino's, then we went back to our apartment and all SALSA DANCED! So much freakin' fun! Then Meg and I stayed up til 3 being dorks again. I really cannot describe to you how much fun this night was...dancing is probably my favorite thing in the world to do, and salsa dancing? Even better.
Sunday: Got up and went to church at Morning Star (biggest blessing ever; I thought about sleeping in, but the Lord just put this passion in my heart to praise Him...it was so good), then went to the church-wide cookout-- yay free food!, then took an accidental 2 hour nap, and then woke up and went with Megan, Jenn, and Daniel to study at the new Starbucks for 5 hours.

I'm sure you wanted to know all those details. :)

For those of you with extra time, you should check out Nate and Jacelyn's blog (theblogisfound.com). They are awesome photographers, but are now on vacation in Canada, and are blogging the whole trip in pictures. For some reason, looking at it just gets me excited about having a family someday. They already have a little girl and just found out Jacelyn is pregnant again! Be encouraged as you look...it's really sweet!

Also, for those of you wanting an amazing song to listen to, check out Phil Wickham's song "Always Forever." I heard it the other day and was so touched that I almost started crying. It could be taken as a love song between people, but I found it to be an incredible love song between God and me. It just seems to usher me into the presence of God every time I hear it. How sweet is it that we are invited to have intimacy with God?

It's so overwhelming and good. He is worthy...

The Redefining of Music

Music has found a place in my life again and I am enthralled!

When I first started college, my friend Amanda and I were ALWAYS playing some gig somewhere (i mean nothing special AT ALL, just local coffee shops or churches-- although one time we played at The Door in Dallas!). Man, I remember how much a freakin' blast it was to haul all the equipment, analyze other band's drummers techniques, chords, etc., sit in the studio for hours, and talk to other musicians about pedals and stuff. Haha. We really weren't hardcore or anything but the atmosphere was so fun! We quit all that stuff our Junior year because life got crazy you know :)

But now, after hanging out in the studio with the Look to the Sky boys and going to two CD release concerts this weekend, I've just realized how much I missed that music stuff. And live local music, man, call me crazy but I don't think I've heard a live local performance the past 6, 7, 8 months (or something like that). I LOVE local talent! Local is way better than the big guys because you probably have some sort of personal connection to the locals.

Also this weekend, I got to play the piano. I mean really PLAY the piano. I bruised my fingers haha. I grew up playing and my favorite thing to do was improv (I still can't really read music well after years of lessons), but I hadn't played a piano in probably half a year. It was so encouraging and worshipful to just sit down and sing to the King all by myself, making my own music to Him. Ahh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

I've led worship with a guitar for a girl's bible study the past year or so, but for some reason I forgot it was music. Music is so passionate and worshipful! The way the Lord gave us fingers to play with, voices to sing with, minds to write with...such a gift! It is so beautiful and it is such a gift! Music can get mundane in the church because it's what we do every Sunday and, well, every time we get together...but harmonies and beautiful sounds and the emotion music carries...it's not mundane.

In the same way I've seen my view of the world around me shifting through photography, I now see my view of music shifting. It is all for the glory of GOD! All of it's beauties and complexities point to OUR GREAT GOD. And he makes gifted people to point others to Him. How I want to use my gifts to point others to Him!

Man Lord, what's next? What are you going to radically change my perspective on next? Because I'm ready!!

I will give you $1 so you can go download this song...

Man...what a day. Very surprising. Anyway, the main reason I'm writing is to share with you this amazing song that has helped me keep my focus on our sweet Savior today. It's Crown Him by Enter The Worship Circle (Ben Pasley) from his album Chair and Microphone. Go to iTunes and DOWNLOAD IT!! Just one song people...you can afford it. :) Ben's voice carries so much passion and emotion and the simplicity of the guitar and voice only are refreshing. The lyrics are the most amazing part. Here they are:



Listen all you unborn children, and those yet to be born again
A seed from the God of heaven… was planted here in the world of men
He grew up only to be broken, He grow up only to be buried
“Hold on,” I heard the prophet say, “hold on, that’s not the end.”

‘Cause when the cross went up, the curtain came down
And a hush ran across the stage, but when the stone was rolled back
All the angels came ‘round, and the earth stood up on its feet to say…

Crown Him Love, crown Him Alive and Well, Crown Him God of Our Salvation
Crown Him Lovely, crown Him Beautiful, He is God and we adore Him…



I love the reference to the curtain being torn in two. We have free and sweet communion and fellowship with the Creator of universe and it's details.

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Psalm 96:4-5

Warning: It gets sappy...

Wow, I've been neglecting the ol' blog! Haven't blogged in a week!

Summer is coming to a close and I'm not going to lie, I'm kinda happy. Summers are wonderful, but too much free time can get boring. And when I have free time I just think and think and think. Too much thinking can get boring too. :) I'm very ready to see friends I've missed and get back to my lovely little apartment (which I rearranged yesterday!).

So highlights since I left you hanging:

1. I went to Dallas for a weekend to see my brother and his wife and their puppy! It was good times had by all.
2. HSM2 Soundtrack came out! Can't wait for the movie. I know I'm a nerd...who cares?
3. Set up a date for our Girls Bible Study leaders to meet and share thoughts, pray, and worship our great God.
4. Found Carla Bruni, a folk singer from France and fell in love with her chilled sound! (Her french album is the best.)

Yep, that's mostly it! I told you...not much going on towards the end of summer.

Can I just share something sappy? One of my favorite things this summer has been the journey towards photography as a career for me. The thing that makes it so special to me is that now I take time to notice the smallest details of beauty throughout the day. It has made me so much more aware of how the Lord's hand is active in our lives. The tiniest thing, like leaves on a green tree, can make me smile and praise my God. And that makes my day so much sweeter. I want to be obsessed with Him. He is so good. Another little thing, I found a quote by Jeff and Julia Woods, a photography couple with FOUR kids, and it just made me happy. Quite honestly, (and this is the full Caroline here, holding nothing back) I wanted to pursue photography in the beginning because I could look cool. I had this mentality that it would be all about me. Terrible pride. But now I see things so much differently. The Lord has opened my eyes again to the fact that I am not here on earth for me, but I am here for Him, and to be his hands, feet, arms, heart, to those around me. I am no longer trying to build myself into an amazing person to be looked at, but I am in awe that the Lord might want to show Himself through me. I am only a vessel...and to be such I need to be empty of all my pride and self-centeredness.

Anyway, here's that quote: “As we grow together with our four children, we continue to learn that our most precious treasure comes from the relationships we share with family and friends. This is what feeds our passion for our profession. We count it a great honor to be given the opportunity to capture images that encourage our clients to embrace the relationships and the special times in their lives.”
–Jeff and Julia Woods