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?!

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!

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. 

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

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.

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!   

  

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!