Monday, June 25, 2012

June Twenty Twelve


I'm back in action. Castaway was wonderful. More to come later. In the mean time, here's a little taste of what I've been listening to this past June. Enjoy :)

1. Go Do - Jonsi
2. Closer - Annie Williams
3. We Will Never Have Tonight Again - Sandra McCracken
4. Beautiful - Matthew Mayfield
5. The Western Skyline - Dawes
6. The A Team - Ed Sheeran
7. Classy Girls - The Lumineers
8. Be Still My Soul - Page CXVI
9. Hot Air - Hanna
10. Graceland & Graveyards - Karla Adolphe
11. Where Have You Been - Rihanna
12. We Bought a Zoo - Jonsi

Any good recommendations for July 2012?!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

I'll Be Seeing You


Every summer I get to to take a group of high school kids to my favorite place in the world, a Young Life camp in northern Minnesota. And that time has arrived, we are heading to Castaway Club tonight! It's always and incredible week filled with adventure and joy. I'm looking forward to see all that's in store for us this year.

With all that being said, I will be gone away from the Chicagoland and Echo Grace until June 25th. I hope you all don't miss me too much :)

Have a wonderful week - see you in a week!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Live Together, Die Alone


So I know I'm a little bit late on the LOST bandwagon (and that the series ended over two years ago) but I've been watching the entire show with three of my close friends over the last year and a half. When we started this adventure together last January I thought surely we wouldn't watch all of the seasons. 

But.... TONIGHT we are watching the series finale!! 
We've made it through many Young Life summer assignments, a battle with pancreatitis, filming a documentary in Honduras, and two new puppies but I'm proud to say all four of us have watched them all together (okay, except maybe 2.) I mean after all, "live together, die alone."

Don't worry - I'm sure I'll keep you all updated on my thoughts about the finale. It's crazy to think through where the show is now after watching the season 1 trailer. How do these people come up with this stuff? And I'm also sorry if you don't care about LOST. I know what you're feeling too, I honestly never thought I'd actually care. One last thing, if Kate & Sawyer end up together, I'll be angry. 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Murphy


Last Saturday my family's border collie Murphy passed away after 15 joyful years. He died at home which is exactly what my parents had hoped. It was such a gift to our family. It's amazing to me how much an animal can really feel just as much part of your family as a sibling. There are so many huge life moments that Murphy was there for but also so many normal "Wendesdays." One thing that Murphy did well was play, he was chasing a tennis ball until the day he died. I'm grateful that I can remember him that way. It's never easy to lose a family pet. 

"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if your rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary? " 
- Marley & Me

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Eyes To See

“We live in a world where bad stories are told, stories that teach us life doesn't mean anything and that humanity has no great purpose. It's a good calling, then, to speak a better story. How brightly a better story shines. How easily the world looks to it in wonder. How grateful we are to hear these stories, and how happy it makes us to repeat them.” - Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

 
eyes to see [shred-i-gator] from JJ Starr on Vimeo.

Story telling is a gift. And my friends, JJ Starr has it. He has such a heart for sharing stories in communities all around the world where restoration is happening. Above is a short documentary that he just finished about a young man who has a story worth telling. I dare you to watch it and not cry. Seriously, I dare you.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Genteel





My good friend Abby is starting her own jewelry line Genteel and asked me to model (so fun right?) some of her current pieces. I was so honored to be apart of her project. One early morning we went on an adventure out into the forest preserve and got some great shots. My friend Kelly (you met her here.) is a great photographer and did an incredible job with the photos.

Above are a couple of the shots of two necklaces that she's made. Every time I look at one of them I decide that one is my favorite and then I'll look at the other one and say the same thing (that's kind of how I feel like picking my favorite character on Mad Men, so many great ones to choose from.) They are both absolutely stunning! Abby's main focus are necklaces but also has some belts, pins, and cuffs too (I've got one of the pins, I'm sure it'll make it's way here soon!)

Abby is currently living in the Chicagoland and working on creating her line from there. I don't want to pretend like I know the ins & outs of jewelry making and design but I would totally encourage you to get in contact with Abby if you'd like to know more about Genteel and her designs. Please feel free visit her website abigailandersondesign.com to connect with her!   

  

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Weekend Update










Thank goodness for iPhones, right? My phone helped me capture some special moments this weekend. The Butters family (& friends) had a lot to celebrate.

On Saturday we had graduation and brunch for my future sister-in-law (she got her masters in secondary education,) a graduation party for my best friend from high school (she's officially a pharmacist!) and an engagement party for the future Mr. & Mrs. Butters all downtown Chicago Saturday. It also was my mom's birthday. Phew, what a day! Although I'm completely exhausted, I'm grateful I was able to celebrate so many wonderful things with so many wonderful people. 

Hope you all had a fun weekend too! 


Friday, June 8, 2012

Hot Air


Two of my dear friends Kevin Reid & Kelly Reed (I hope you love both their names together as much as I do) are making some awesome music together. There is nothing like watching people you love (or really anyone) do something that they were created to do. These two are both gifted song writers and together are making beautiful heartfelt music.

The story about their name is so unique. Kevin is living in Northern California and Kelly lives in the Chicagoland so they chose the city that is directly the half way point between those two places. Hanna, South Dakota. I looked it up on Wikipedia (I know, my professors at KU would be dying) and it's so small the page doesn't even have a population number. 

Their single just "dropped" on itunes this week. You can find it here. It's only $0.99! What a steal. (Sneak Peak: It made it to my June 2012.)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Where The Streets Have No Name




Skirt: Nordstrom. Top: Ella Moss (old.) Shoes: Nine West.
Bracelets: Gift. Earrings: Francesca's. Ring: Lia Sophia.
The title of this post is shockingly incorrect seeing as I'm standing in the middle of my street. But as I stood there this afternoon the U2 song "Where The Streets Have No Name" came to my mind.

At Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS, the home of the Kansas Jayhawk basketball team, that song was played during the intro video for my beloved Jayhawks when I was in college there (you can find it here. It's worth 46 seconds of your life. I promise.) 

Today it is hard to hear that song and not think of newspaper bits flying in the air, and a sea of crimson & blue. I think left part of my heart there. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!  

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

From Where I Stand










I know some people don't like feet but I think feet pictures are awesome (can you tell?) 
They each tell a different story.
Instagram is the best place to follow the #fromwhereIstand thread.
Check it out!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Recommendations


I am always nervous when I hear from tons of people about a certain book to read, movie to see, album to listen to. I think sometimes there is so much hype around something that when it comes time for me to experience it on my own the beauty others have experienced is clouded by my expectation. 

With that being said, I love it when the very opposite happens. A handful of close friends of mine recommended the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It is wonderful. Ann is a beautiful writer that puts words to what communion with God is like. 

The book really has challenged me to be more aware of what's happening around me. Just a week or two ago I was driving to meet a friend for dinner and noticed how beautiful the sky looked. Instead of just passing by I decided dinner could wait 3 extra minutes and pulled over, got out of my car, and took the picture above. It was so gorgeous. There are invitations all around us to be invited into something more, sometimes it's just whether or not we're able to see them. 
I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book: 
"We want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it..." 
I don't want to give too much of my opinion about it except that it's worth a read. You can find it here.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Conversation Starter



Sweater: Nordstrom Rack. Blazer: JCrew (here.) Pants: JCrew (here.)
Scarf: JCrew. Boots: Macy's (old).
Earrings: F21 (old). Ring: Lia Sophia. Bag: My mom's closet. Sunglasses: Target. 

First off, I apologize that these are iphone pictures. Didn't think things through when we began our adventure to the city today.

One of my best friends from college is in town for the week. Jamie has been to Chicago before but I felt like she needed to get another taste of the Windy City. We did pretty much three things, and those three things we did well. We shopped. We ate. And we walked a ton. I think that my feet are going to fall off. 

I have worn these red pants a handful of different times before but for some reason today they were quite the conversation starter. I think that five different people struck up conversations with us based on my pants. One gentleman even asked to trade. Bet you'd never guess, I declined.