'Cause I Gotta Have Faith

     I'm coming to you a few hours late--more like 6 but who's really counting?  I'm starting to feel better (did I mention that I have a bad sinus infection) and today is my first time taking pictures with my new photography outlook, so I'm super nervous.  I'm just taking pictures of a family friend, but she's being my trial run on pretty much everything I want to offer.  My nervousness means I want to do everything, but photography.  My mind is racing with everything I should have been doing this week, but put off because I was "resting." Crippling self-doubt is starting to take hold.  I know this stuff.  I've literally been dreaming about posing since I left Texas, but I know my mind will blank once put on the spot.  Plus what if the makeup artist goes overboard (like we all tend to do in the South)--I should already have a full Pintrest board of makeup ideas.
     I guess it's time to suck it up and pull myself together.  I've got this or at the very least I'm going to have a model who is going to be decked out in jewelry and awesome clothes even if the posing isn't out of this world.

Title: "Faith" by George Michael

I Need All the Joy You Bring

     Happy Valentine's Day!  Have you told that special someone that you love them?  Probably.  But telling your family and friends (whom you love) is important too.  Life is short, I try to remember to tell the special people in my life that I love them (whether it's a best friend, my parents, or other family members), but I usually forget.  Valentine's Day is just a little nudge of a reminder (okay, maybe a big nudge).  Being that I'm single this Valentine's Day (like every other V-Day, except one), my friends are my special someone's.  I'm headed down to Oxford today for the weekend.  On my way down I shall be working on the playlist for this month.  It already has a title:  "The Single Girl's Valentine's Day Mix."  It was supposed to be the playlist which the ladies and I celebrated Valentine's Day Weekend because it shouldn't matter that we don't have significant others (but we live in the South and we're getting matronly).  Anyway, it's looking like the weekend might turn out a little differently than I imagined.  It's probably for the best.  

     I think it's extremely interesting how some music is created.  The following video is one of those where I'm watching with curiosity.  Please teach me how to do that.  You'll be seeing this song on the upcoming mix.  

Title: "Holdin' On" by Flume

Every Single Time That You Shake It You'll Make It So Beautiful

5 things I'm thankful for:

Got my blood work back, I'm pretty much normal

(well, my tests came back normal)

Willy's HOME
Which also means that we got to finally finish our Christmas card
(here's an outtake from the first "photo shoot")

Over the weekend, I got to visit with my Grandmother down in Oxford
(and my Aunt and Uncle who are not pictured)

Oscar is starting to somewhat get along with the Kitty
(He keeps trying to play with Dante by nipping and barking at him, but Dante mostly ignores him)

Finding a little something to distract me from everything
(pass the time and just something I love to do in general)

Title: "Snow Globe" by Matt Wertz

There Is Nowhere Else That I Belong

     This weekend I went down to Oxford to visit a friend (and possibly go to the grove).  While we didn't make it to the Grove, we did have an amazing time having a movie marathon and relaxing.  I didn't open my computer or write.  One those thing was good, the other not so much.  Not opening my computer also meant that I missed out on my Sunday thankfulness post something that isn't so great, especially considering that November is a time for counting your blessings leading up to Thanksgiving. So here are my belated five things I'm thankful for this week.

My Owl Oreo Truffle Stuffed Cupcakes actually turned out nicely.

(These cupcakes have been previously featured on my blog.)

(Photo Credit)

Things that are gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free.

(I'm also thankful for the things that aren't any of that because I love bread, candy, and cheese.)

Even though I'm a little behind on my writing, I've still made some amazing progress.

(I'm on my second legal pad and hit about 12,400 words on page 62.)

The adorable sheepdog I call Oscar.

(Who is super proud of his new wood disk from the trees that have been cut down.)

The whole weekend.

(It was fun, relaxing, and filled with laughter.)

Which I don't seem to have pictures from.

I am also very thankful for the ways in which God has blessed me, not with just material items, but things like:

 my imagination which keeps me guessing

my mind which tackles problems like they're quarterbacks

my parents who support me in everything I do

my friends who have become incredibly important these past few weeks

my attitude which wants to be chipper and happy all the time

and that's just some of the small things.  

God blesses us with the strength to make it through any trial that might come our way.

Like Morgan Freeman says in Evan Almighty, 

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

(All of this I found very enlightened coming from Hollywood.) 

Title: "New York" by Snow Patrol

And the Trees Are Filled With Memories

5 things I'm thankful for this week:

Getting a break from work/thinking about work

Visiting Amber in Oxford

Being inspired towards a personal project in November

Dressing up Oscar with hats

(This one I just saw via text message)

Enjoying life rain or shine

Title: "Bloom" by The Paper Kites

Keep Your Eye on the Light and It Will See You Through

5 things I'm thankful for this week:

I just bought Adobe Creative Cloud for the next 365 days.

Plus VSCO film, a set of pre-made presets that make your photos amazing as in like film.

I made it to the stripes!! 

On the blanket I'm working on.  I hope it's going to be big enough!

My cookie flower

Ole Miss won Homecoming!

Even though I wasn't there, I have some Grove pictures from last weekend.

And last, but not least, my inhaler.

This has helped me breathe easier this past couple of weeks. 

Title: "Carla" by Life in Film

Trust in Your Dream

     Oxford.  It's what for the weekend.

Also until November 6 (2012), Hipstamatic and Rock the Vote have teamed up to give the public a Rock the Vote Freepak.  It includes this awesome film (above).  Check it out if you have the Hipstamatic app.

Title: "Madness" by Muse

You Will Always Get What You Want

     I had the best birthday a sick girl could ask for.  I went to the doctor this morning and I have an upper respiratory tract infection thingy and maybe kind of bronchitis.  But I'm on antibiotics to which I may or may not be allergic.  Z-packs and steroid packs aren't necessarily the same thing (so if you remember taking 5 little pills on day 1, it's not the same as 2 big pills on day 1).  Crazy little fact you now know thanks to me, no big deal.
     I did get to blow out candles on my birthday cake!  Which was completely awesome.  (My parent's didn't even mind my bronchitis germs being blown all over my cake.  Hear that y'all, I think I just claimed the cake all for myself!)  But really, the pound cake was way too delicious to let a little thing like germs get the best of it.  (And anyway, it's not something you can really catch.  I don't think.)  Oh and I got birthday flowers sent to the office (by my family) which was embarrassing and made me feel special all at the same time.  They also took me shopping at The Pink Zinnia and Janie Rose (in Hernando).  I got some pretty sweet stuff that I'm definitely wearing to the Grove on Saturday.  Because how can I go to Oxford this weekend and not get dressed up and go to the Grove?  It's just unthinkable!

Title: "Something Good Can Work" by Two Door Cinema Club

I'll Just Try to Keep Up

     If I had planned better, I'd be talking about design right now and how amazing it can be.  But I didn't.  So instead I'm just going to share with you a funny video put together by whatever Texas team Ole Miss played last weekend.  There have been so many I can't keep them straight.  (I looked it up, it was Texas, so descriptive right?  That's how I had no idea what team it was, I kept thinking I was missing something.  But nope, it was just Texas.)  Of course, we won lost.  No surprise there, but it was our first game of the season to lose (BIG surprise there).  Anyway, it was a huge game.  I saw Facebook statuses where some of my friends couldn't get cell phone service in the grove on FRIDAY.  Yeah, that hasn't happened since the Presidential Debate (so many people came the cell phone companies put up extra tower thingys, we've been good in the grove ever since).
     A group of fans made this video about the grove.  While it does portray Ole Miss in not the greatest light, you've got to think that they probably interviewed a ton of people and most of them probably got the answers correct.  I couldn't even answer some.  Not too surprising since it's all about football and I don't really know much about that subject.  

     I'm headed down to Oxford for what sounds like just the first half of the day.  I'm hoping it will go well, but who really knows.  This whole week has been so hectic, busy.  Ready for the weekend!  (And for my parents to get home.  I'm finding out that I'm really going to have find a job where I don't have to be out of the house all day or I can take my puppy to work.  Oscar is going to be a heck of a trouble maker if he's left alone ALL day especially inside.)

Title: "Travelin' On" by Norah Jones

All By Myself

     The thing I love most about finding a different song for each of my posts is that it forces me to find new music.  Honestly, sometimes I completely hate it for one reason or another.  Usually the reason is I can't find a song that I like that fits the blog post and I just want to go to bed.  Other times though, like right now, I can't wait until I can blog again so I can share this amazing band with you.
     I wish there was a genre for this band that I could type in so I would get more bands like this one.  They are completely unique in that in one of their CDs they have so many different sounds.  All of their songs are fun and you can tell that they are doing this because they love it, not for the fame or the money (okay, maybe a little for both, but mostly because they love it).  I just found on youtube a playlist of "officially unofficial music videos, hand-made, band-made by Walk the Moon without a film crew or a budget."  That quote was taken directly from the description of their "7in7" playlist, where they made 7 videos (in 7 days) while on tour in order to promote their upcoming self-titled album.  I've shared some of their music on here before after I stumbled across Anna Sun and then came back for more with Shiver Shiver (although I should have used the music video featured below as it is so much better than the live version).  I finally downloaded their whole CD and man are there some jems on the album.  I can't stop listening to the song that the title of this post is named after, mostly because of the different rounds in the chorus.  I want to find more bands like this one.  If you know of any, please pretty please let me know.  I'd be forever in your debt.   I also just found out that they are going to be in Nashville on a Tuesday which makes me super sad because who would miss work to go with me?

"Shiver Shiver" by Walk the Moon

     I had my first day of an internship at Click Magazine (in DeSoto County) today, but I'm going back on Tuesday to have my second first day.  I'm extremely proud of my outfit so I had to share.

     Now it's down to OXFORD for Grove Season!  

Art brought to you by Scoots Peterson (my grandmother) and Welzie (of Two Crows Surfboards).

Title: "I Can Lift a Car" by Walk the Moon

(btw, opening your eyes underwater and trying to look good is really rather difficult for those of you who haven't tried... which makes this video even more awesome)

Don't Want to Worry the Rest of My Life

5 things I'm thankful for this week:

I got to see my sister and her husband in Hawaii for a whole week

My adorable puppy is feeling just fine after his neutering surgery

I'm home again! It's always nice to be back home after a vacation

I got to meet new friends (and help an old one continue to celebrate her birthday)

We got to go to Holli's Sweet Tooth while I was in Oxford

Title: "Kicking My Heels" by Tyler Hilton

This Place Was Built With Love

5 things I'm thankful for this week:

That my parents are finally home so I have somewhat of a social life

That my brother is home so I finally have someone to joke around with (and pester) at said social events

That my puppy is growing into a big strong and very healthy adult dog with (knock on wood) no life-threatening, special (and expensive) problems

(I am still a little sad that his adult fur is more wiry than soft and fluffy like his puppy fluff)

That my Lifeproof phone case is actually waterproof and I didn't kill my phone when I completely submerged it in the pool on the 4th of July

I didn't exactly shoot any fireworks this 4th because I was by myself, but obviously this is red, white, and blue.

That America declared its freedom from British rule on July 4, 1776, 

and even though I don't agree with all of our policies both on our home soil and abroad, 

doesn't mean I don't live in a great country 

where I'm allowed the freedom to gain the education (as a woman) to form my own opinion 

and the freedom to voice that opinion whenever I want

(doesn't mean I'm going to force anything on anyone... 

but that's an entirely different topic not suited for a thankful mood)

And I'm grateful for anyone and everyone who has ever fought for America 

(for women and for equal rights in general) 

no matter how small others might think their fight was 

(no battle--mental or physical--is a small battle)

I'm also extremely thankful for the one who did the work of God for me 

so that all I have to do is believe because even that is extremely tough 

(and impossible without the help of God)

and if more than belief was asked from me I would most definitely fall short

Title: "Underground" by Monique Brumby

I'll Light Up the Sky

     Happy Fourth of July!!  I celebrated the freedom of America last night by going to Oxford and hanging out with my best friend.  She is in summer school and has 8 o'clock classes and works pretty much as soon as she gets out of class, so I had to come either on a weekend or when she had a holiday (aka yesterday).  We had so much fun together.  And while I worried about the puppies non stop they were just fine (I left after I fed them dinner and I left them enough food for about 5 normal meals).  I was a little concerned that Oscar would gorge himself on all of that food, but he didn't.  In fact, he was the one who actually had food left over (not a lot but some) and Jack only had one little morsel that he had apparently looked over.

      When we woke up this morning we had a huge breakfast/brunch and then hung out at the pool where I only got a tiny bit pink and splotchy but I'm pretty sure it will even out by tomorrow.  (I forgot to bring sunscreen so I had to use some spray on bronzer stuff... not my favorite kind but it apparently did the job.)  I put my Lifeproof case to the test and took some photos under the water.  It was a little difficult but also so much fun (we laughed and laughed the whole time).  Just as a tip, you have to press the "+" sign on the side to take the picture, not the camera button on the screen.  

     Both puppies were so happy when I got home.  However, Jack keeps walking around whining looking at the door.  I'm pretty sure that he's missing my parents too (that or he just wants the tennis ball that is stuck under Mom's car--I think Oscar put it there).  My whole family comes home tomorrow!!! I can't wait.  Will asked me to make him some sweet tea-- so right now it's sitting in my fridge just waiting for someone to drink it.  What can I say, I'm an awesome big sister.  

Title: "Numb" by Marina and the Diamonds 

(This song is the one playing in the video above.)