May Twenty Thirteen

These playlist posts always sneak up on me. It feels like time just moves faster and faster every year. 

Tomorrow is June 1st. Unbelievable. 

May was a wonderful month filled with many celebrations, lots of good books, countless drives with windows down, and many great conversations. 

These songs were great additions to those memories.  

1. Boxcar - Shovels & Rope
2. Lana Del Rey - Young & Beautiful 
3. The Valley- The Oh Hellos
4. Follow Me - Trouvere
5. Falling For You - The 1975
6. Native Son (feat. Brett Denne) - Kate Earl
7. 100$ Bill - Jay-Z
8. Queen of the City - Joshua James
9. Crazy In Love - Emeli Sande
10. Saturday Morning - Rachael Yamagata
11. Beautiful Girl - William Fitzsimmons
12. So I'll Let You Go - Trouvere
13. Bad Things - Meiko
14. Fenway Griffin House
15. Good Bye - Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed

April Twenty Thirteen

So I realize that it's the middle of may, and I have been in full swing listening to "may twenty thirteen" and totally forgot to post "april twenty thirteen." Do not worry friends, here it is, in all it's glory. And again, sorry that it's almost June.

1. Don't Give Up - The Inlaws
2. Wine We Drink - Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
3. Go Together - Jillian Edwards
4. Peace Like a River - Andrew Ripp
5. All the Poor and the Powerless - All Sons & Daughters
6. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
7. From This Valley - The Civil Wars
8. Next to Me - Emeli Sande
9. Youth - Daugther
10. Beautiful Day - Joshua Radin
11. Brave - Sara Bareilles
12. Everything - Ben Howard
13. Pusher Love Girl  - Justin Timberlake 

Things I Learned...

... This weekend.

1. I cannot get enough of The Great Gatsby soundtrack. I think I have spent the last 48 hours listening to it. "Young and Beautiful" has been constantly running through my head. I also loved the movie. Baz Luhrmann did a phenomenal job putting the story on a screen. Not sure I loved Carey Mulligan as Daisy but Leo was casted perfectly.
2. Mother's Day is the best. Since I'm so close to my family we get together pretty frequently. Today felt different though, it was nice to have an intentional day of just celebrating mom. Seriously though, don't know what in the world I'd do without her. 
3. Traffic automatically puts me in a bad mood. It is kind of incredible how my day can be going well and then all of a sudden traffic hits and I'm instantly frustrated. 
4. Homecomings always need to start with deep dish pizza and a visit from your bestie (I'd like to think so at least.) My best friend Gwen from high school has been living out in Washington DC for the last 4 years and she moved back to Chicago today! I was able to stop by her house today and give her a big hug (and eat some deep dish pizza) to welcome her home. I'm excited for what's in store with her back home again, can only imagine lots of fun things.
5. I like to think of myself as a pretty clean person but one thing is for sure, I'm not very good at keeping my room organized. It feels like once I week I take the time to "clean my room" and then somehow within 24 hours its a mess again. Even as I sit here typing I am embarrassed by its current state. A complete mess. Maybe next time...

Things I Learned...

... This weekend. 

1. I am never underwhelmed by the city of Chicago. Every spring the organization I work for treats us to a weekend downtown filled with delicious food, community, and surprises. It's always wonderful and this year was no exception. I love that I've grown up in the Chicagoland and no matter it always feels new. It's fun when home still feels like an adventure.
2. Babies make everything better. My friend Ben and his wife Abby just had a sweet little baby boy 5 weeks ago. He's just the best. It really is unbelievable how holding a baby can put you in a better mood. Well it does for me at least.  
3. I enjoy coffee in the afternoon just as much as the morning. After I got home from the weekend away I had a couple hours before the next thing on my schedule. I cuddled up in my bed, opened up my window, sipped on some hazelnut coffee and opened my the new book I started Carry On, Warrior (Thoughts on Life Unarmed) by Glennon Doyle Melton. Friends, I call that a perfect Sunday afternoon. 
4. Debit card fraud is really just rude. This happened during my week but I was without my debit card until today. Last week, someone decided to use my debit card to by film equipment from New York. I'm grateful that my bank was gracious about the situation but it definitely was a frustrating. I was also surprised by how violated it made me feel. 
5. Musical theater is awesome. During our weekend downtown one of our surprises was going to see "Big Fish" at the Oriental Theater. I loved the movie when it came out a while back and I was really excited to see the show. It was neat to see the way they made the fantastical story come to life on stage. And let's be honest, I'm always a sucker for a good musical.

Authentic Me

So I'm sure by now you're sick of hearing about me reading The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. I promise, this is the last post about it (at least for now...)

One of the things she talks about towards the end of the book is the way that dancing, music, and laughter are foundational to living a "wholehearted" life. I could not agree more. One thing she made for herself is a playlist called "authentic me." It is a collection of songs that make her feel like herself. She didn't explain much why she chose songs but left it at that. 

I decided to make my own "authentic me" playlist. 
The list below are either songs I never get sick of listening to, have impacted me in different ways, make me want to get up and dance, or songs I just simply love. 

1. The Seed & the Ground - JJ Alberhasky
2. By the Mark - Gillian Welch
3. Countdown - Beyonce
4. Carry On - Fun.
5. Gathering Stories - Jonsi
6. Lost and Found - Katie Herzig
7. The Trapeze  Swinger - Iron & Wine
8. 23 - Jimmy Eat World
9. Rain - Patty Griffin
10. Shine - David Gray
11. Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
12. Years and Years - Sidehill Winders
13. Land of the Living - Matthew Perryman Jones
14. How the Day Sounds - Greg Laswell
15. Raconte-Moi Une Histoire - M83
16. After the Storm - Mumford & Sons
17. My Love - Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.
18. Window in the Skies - U2
19. The District Sleeps Alone - The Postal Service
20. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
21. On Your Porch - The Format
22. Arms - Christina Perri
23. Blood Bank - Bon Iver
24. Blood - The Middle East
25. I Thought - The Kevin Reid Project
26. Need & Thread - Sleeping at Last
27. Kids - MGMT
28. Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine
29. Dog Problems - The Format
30. Land of Hope and Dreams - Bruce Springsteen

I've got this on repeat.

March Twenty Thirteen

March Madness. 

Spring Break in Naples, FL.

Two weddings. 

New Justin Timberlake album. 

March was a good month.

1. Land of Hope and Dreams - Bruce Springsteen
2. Just Give Me a reason - Pink feat. Nate Ruess
3. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
4. I Have Made Mistakes - The Oh Hellos
5. Hoping For Home - Trent Dabbs
6. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
7. Dance in the Graveyards - Delta Rae
8. Capsized - Matthew Perryman Jones
9. Fragile Bird - City and Colour
10. Joy to You Baby - Josh Ritter
11. The Valley - The Oh Hellos
12. Carry On (acoustic) - Fun. 

Any good tunes for me to listen to??

December Twenty Twelve

It is still unbelievable to me that another year has come and gone. 

And with that being said, another playlist has come and gone. 

1. Distance - Christina Perri feat Jason Mraz
2. Orphans, Kingdomws - Brooke Fraser
3. One Foot - Fun.
4. Big Parade - The Lumineers
5. I'm on your side - JJ Alberhasky
6. Heart's Content - Brandi Carlile
7. O, Holy Night - Sleeping At Last
8. Scream & Shout - Will.I.Am feat Britney Spears
9. Something to Look Forward to - Ari Hest
10. Mountain Song - Trent Dabbs 
11. Little Drummer Boy - Sufjan Stevens
12. All This And Heaven Too - Florence & the Machine
13. Where the West Wind Blows - Green River Ordinance
14. Someone - Future of Forestry

Below My Feet

"Below My Feet" - Mumford & Sons

I know that the new Mumford & Sons album came out in September but I cannot stop listening to it. This song specifically. On repeat all day today.

"Let me learn from where I have been

Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn"

Gosh, so so good.

November Twenty Twelve

Another month has come and gone. And so has another playlist.

1. Soon, My Friend - M83
2. Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing - The Welcome Wagon
3. Second Chances - Paper Route
4. Love is All I Am - Dawes
5. Devastate Me - Rachel Yamagata
6. Letting Go (feat Sarah Green) - Lupe Fiasco
7. Far - Canopy Climbers
8. Lay Low - Shovels & Ropes
9. None But Thee - Young Oceans
10. House of Gold - Patty Griffin
11. Swallowed In The Sea - Coldplay
12. O' Be Joyful - Shovels & Rope
13. Someone - Future of Forestry

Any recommendations? 

October Twenty-Twelve

It feels like a sick joke that it is already November. I feel like I blinked and October happened. This past month the organization I work for held our biggest fundraising event. Pulling off a fundraising event meant lots of long hours and late nights in the office. Grateful for these sweet tunes to get me through the month of October. 

1. Over the Moon - Rosie Thomas
2. Hoping for Home - Trent Dabbs
3. Diggin' in the Sand - Josh Rouse & The Long Vactations
4. Soliders - The Rocket Summer
5. Now is the Start - A Fine Frenzy
6. Under Streetlights - Brooke Annibale
7. Spirograph (from Hands of Glory) - Andrew Bird
8. Poisoning the Well - Matthew Perryman Jones
9. You and I - Paper Route
10. Ghosts That We Knew - Mumford & Sons
11. Broken Horse - Freelance Whales
12. O Theo - Matthew Perryman Jones
13. Broken Crown - Mumford & Sons

Got any good recommendations for November??

All Things Go, All Things Go

I fell in love again

All things go, all things go

Drove to Chicago

All things know, all things know

- Sufjan Stevens "Chicago"

I got the chance to spend the day in the beautiful city of Chicago with Kate and Lisa last Sunday. 

What a perfect day. Here are some snapshots.

September Twenty-Twelve

My goodness, how is it already October 11th? The fall is just flying by. I was updating my October playlist and realized I forgot to post September's soundtrack. Whoops. A little late is better than never, right? Again... don't judge me for my pop music. I love it.

1. Nobody's Crying - Patty Griffin
2. Bright Lights and Cityscapes - Sara Bareilles
3. Lover of the Light - Mumford & Sons
4. Die Young - Ke$ha 
5. Heart's Content - Brandi Carlile
6. Oh to Be Loved - Thad Cockrell
7. Settle Down (acoustic) - No Doubt
8. Midnight Serenade - Katie Herzig
9. Washed By the Water - Needtobreathe
10. Boy Lilikoi - Jonsi
11. One Foot - Fun.
12. Rocky Ground - Bruce Springsteen 
13. Don't Get Married Without Me - The Punch Brothers
14. Hoping For Home - Trent Dabbs
15. The Way It Was - Brooke Annibale 

Any good suggestions for October Twenty-Twelve? 

I'm always looking for some new music!

Amber Waves

Need a new song to listen to?

"Amber Waves" by Erin McCarley.

I wasn't quite sure if I liked it but I can't get it out of my head.

Thanks iTunes for making it your free single a couple weeks ago.

If you missed out, totally worth $.99.

Here, have a listen.

Also, here's Clive again :)

Have a good weekend! 

Things I Learned...

...This weekend.

1. From the Warren Dunes in Michigan, you can see the Chicago skyline. What! Growing up in the Chicagoland going to the Michigan Dunes wasn't out of the ordinary for me. This past weekend I went with a handful of Young Life leaders from my local community. And to my surprise, as we were were sitting a top a massive dune over looking Lake Michigan, there was the city of Chicago. If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the Sears Tower (excuse me, Willis Tower) and the John Hancock. Crazy!
2. The XM radio station 90's on 9 is phenomenal. Wilson Phillips? Alanis Morissette? Perfection. It's my dream playlist. 
3. Gas is way too expensive. $4.25 a gallon, get out of here.
4. November 8th is going to be a great day. As some of you know, my sweet iphone phone was stolen about a month ago. But on November 8th, I'll be getting the new iphone 5. Thank you Apple.
5. My favorite season has finally arrived. Hello Fall, I'm so glad that you're here. 

Weekend Soundtrack

I'm heading up to Michigan for the weekend. 

What will I listen to on my drive?

The new Brandi Carlile album of course. 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Things I Learned...

... this weekend.

1. If you take the train into the city make sure to check the train schedule so you make it back home. On Saturday I went into the city for the day and didn't want to deal with parking so I took the train. One thing I didn't do was plan my way back. When I arrived at the train station to come home, I had missed a train by 4 minutes and then next one wasn't for another 2 hours. Oops? Good thing JJ is the best and came in and got me. He's pretty good to me.
2. Just one Christmas carol in September isn't a bad thing. In Church this morning we sang "Joy to the World." It was awesome. Those lyrics are incredible and should be sung more often.
3. Going on walks by yourself are a great way to clear your head. I'm starting to realize that so much of my life is controlled by my calendar and am not very good at carving out time alone. On Friday I decided I'd go for a walk around the prairie path close to my home minus my phone plus my camera. Freedom.
4. You don't have to talk to someone everyday to still be a good friend. My old college roommate Cori was in Chicago for the weekend and I had the chance to catch up with her on Friday night. Cori and I haven't seen each other in over two years but it felt like we didn't skip a beat. Grateful for those kinds of friendships.
5. The Renegade Craft Fair is the best thing ever. If you live in Chicago, Austin, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco or London. You must go. I'm serious, go. 

Things I Learned...

... this weekend.

1. Driving with the windows down makes every song better.
2. TV marathons are awesome. My personal favorite you ask, Law & Order: SVU. It was on USA all weekend. Team Elliot and Olivia forever. 
3. Moving is exhausting. On Saturday morning I helped my brother and his fiancee move into their new apartment. No matter how many people you have or how organized you think you are, it's never an easy task.
4. Breakfast is my favorite meal. My best friend Alex had a Labor Day brunch (more to come in a later post) on Monday, it was wonderful. Sharing the first meal of the day with people you love is a nice way to start any day.
5. Picking a kitten name is difficult. I cannot imagine what it is like for a child! Eek. If all goes as planned, I'll be a proud mama of a sweet little boy kitten. Any good name suggestions for me?

Labor Day Soundtrack

Are you as obsessed with Of Monsters and Men as I am? 

This album is awesome. If you haven't heard it yet go to your itunes and get their album for $7.99 right now. You won't be disappointed. I've been listening to this album since it came out in April and I haven't gotten sick of it yet (which seems like a good sign to me.) It feels like a great album to end the summer this Labor Day weekend. My personal favorite is "King and Lionheart." Good good stuff.

Enjoy your weekend! 

August Twenty Twelve

So many things happened in August. I traveled to California twice, got a new boss, and moved into a new house. Glad this playlist will be a great reminder of all of those fun things.

1. Hold on Love - Azure Ray
2. From Above - Ben Folds & Nick Hornby
3. Day Two - Hanna
4. All This and Heaven Too - Florence + The Machine
5. I Speak Because I Can - Laura Marling
6. We Are Never Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
7. Details In The Fabric - Jason Mraz
8. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons
9. No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine
10. Koop Island Blues - Koop
11. Long Ride Home - Patty Griffin
12. Love Today - Mika
13. Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
14. Wolves - Josh Ritter
15. As Long As You Love Me - Justin Bieber

Things I Learned...

... This weekend.

1. Some people are jerks. I flew to Malibu, CA to visit JJ for the weekend while he was out filming some videos for Pepperdine University. On my flight out there, someone stole my cell phone. Like we tracked it on my iCloud and I watched my phone travel around Inglewood, CA for an hour and a half stolen. I have returned back to Chicago sans iPhone. I'm embarrassed how much it has bugged me.
2. Surprises really are the best. One of my favorite bands for a long time has been Fun. I fell in love with them (well the lead singer Nate) back when they were The Format. On Friday night JJ surprised me and got us tickets to see Fun. at the Wiltern in LA! I had absolutely no idea they were even in town. And I loved it. Every moment.
3. My feet are always happiest in the sand. My feet got to meet the Pacific Ocean on Saturday. I hope this is just the beginning to a lovely relationship.
4. I'm a midwest girl. As JJ and I were driving around Southern California (which is absolutely gorgeous) I couldn't help but be reminded why I love the midwest. I guess I like green grass and neighborhoods more than I realized.
5. Penny from LOST is just as pretty in real life as she is on the show. Sunday morning we went to Marmalade Cafe in Malibu (I got a delicious mushroom, spinach, goat cheese fritatta - that was for you Gwen) and in walks Penny. I almost died. First and only celebrity spotting and my gosh, well worth it.