Like a lot of people, I've been thinking and praying for the East Coast and the troubles they're facing. 

But some have expressed, and I agree, that it's rather remarkable when life gets so completely entirely interrupted.  When we're stranded.  Inside.  In physical proximity to only a few people.

I've felt that way with our more extreme snow/ice storms in the Northwest the past few years.  Obviously the Eastern Seaboard is facing that right now.  And though not facing a hurricane (thank God!), Seattle has been deluged with enough rain to make someone want to stay in.

Moments like those are special.

And I think they can lead to incredible creativity.

I know of a few pieces of art started under such circumstances.  This is an example of just one of them.

I've returned lately to one of my favorite bands, Future of Forestry (and Eric's previous Something Like Silas).  This "trailer" inspires me in a lot of ways.  I love the unconventional studio.  I love seeing the personal moments behind what's coming through my speakers. (I could go on a whole tangent about how music has become so impersonal during the last hundred-fifty years of its evolutio... but I'll save that for a different post :) 

I sublimely admire the notion of being stuck, with only the tools to create and time to spend.

To those "stranded" or just drawn toward home by our October weather, what will you create?

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

[You can tell life is full when it's thursday and you're finally writing about the weekend =P ]

I was absolutely spoiled this weekend!

I got to attend 2 concerts and be with some of my favorite people =)

Friday night, I took my younger brother, Jerry, on a date.......... to see our favorite band:

Future of Forestry

This was my fourth FOF concert (first and second experience)--and each one has been so worth it.

Obviously I'm a huge fan of their art... but more than just a fan.

They are a group of extremely talented people who have a lot of fun creating together. And that is worth the price of admission.

This year was especially moving... beyond what I can articulate.

But one of the fun parts was that my brother and I were front and center. Eric (the lead singer) kept looking over at us. In between songs, he made a comment about how unusual it was to have people singing along who knew every word.

After the concert I stood in a group, waiting to talk to Eric. But I noticed that Jerry was behind me talking to another member of the band so I turned around to chat with them.

As I did, Eric leapt out of this crowd of people, looked at us and said "Don't leave! Wait just a minute and I'll be done." I laughed, assuring him we weren't going anywhere.

So we chatted with a cool band member who had also just graduated college and then waited a bit longer for Eric. We got to spend several minutes with him, sharing some of the personal significance to his songs, thanking him for his music. But it felt mutually encouraging. He was so grateful to us... just an amazing connection, really.

The next night was also a stellar music experience: my church recorded their first live album.

Our worship leader (also named Eric) has such an incredible as a singer/songwriter. Combine that with some very talented musicians, Katie + Rose (amazing!), an energized crowd, invite the presence of God and you can expect an incredible evening!

So there's a snapshot of my fabulous, musical weekend. Hope yours was equally inspiring!

Just a glimpse...

...of the fun had last night.

photo credit: stephanie hawn

It's tonight!!!

Merry Christmas, FoF style =)

Getting SO excited for this monday night!!!

It'll be my third annual--and it is my new, favorite Christmas tradition!

This year, a few friends are joining aaand I finally have a camera ;-)

"If you leave I'll still be close to you
When all your fears rain down
I'll take you back a thousand times again
I'll take you as my own
I would sing you songs of innocence
'Til the light of morning comes
'Til the rays of gold and honey
Cover you
In the sweetness of the dawn
But you're always on the run

Slow your breath down
Just take it slow
Find your heart now, oh
You can trust in love again
Slow your breath down, just take it slow
Find your smile now, oh
You can trust in love again

You're not alone
You're now a part of me
You feel the cure
I'll find the toil it brought you..."

-"Slow Your Breath Down" by Future of Forestry

I have owned this song for almost a year.

I've played it several times.

But last friday at the Future of Forestry Advent Concert

(one of the highlights of the year, I'm making it an annual tradition),

last friday was the first time I really heard this song.

Such powerful lyrics, and seeing it live brought me to tears.

Read those words again and let them minister to you.

Enjoy:

*Sigh... this has been a very long and very stretching week.

But I can breathe easy for a few hours :)

So, thoughts on this week:

- I may be dropping my communication major and focusing all on English. There's an opportunity that I could take a graduate seminar next quarter. This would be an enormous privilege but would also be very challenging. I can only take it though if I am not pursuing com. I need to know by monday :-/ I'm leaning towards dropping com. It would open up a lot of opportunities. If I dropped com I would be able to apply for Honors English, take more Lit classes (including a grad seminar), take a few more electives, and I could even apply teach a Freshman Interest Group (FIG). It would be pretty incredible. I just need to hear a definitive from the Lord and from my parents.

- I took my first step this week in turning Inception into a topic scholarly study. We had to write a media critique for my com class. In nearly all my classes I've been seeing "Inception links." (If you flip through my copy of Heart of Darkness you will find multiple notes referencing Inception--there are SO many connections between that book and that movie). After bringing the film up a couple of times in my literature class (it DID apply), my professor made a brilliant point: "Inception is your generation's Matrix." It's very, very true. In my dreams of being a professor, I would make my students watch the film and use it as a critical theory. (PS - so excited for it to come out on tuesday, but i have to wait to watch it till my finals are over):

- Because I had to read such a horrible book last weekend for my lit class, I decided to buy some new worship music to play in the background. This was fun, but challenging because 3 of my favorites all came out with albums this month ("Joy" by forerunner music, "Live at the Banks House" by Will Reagan and the United Pursuit Band, and "Come Away" by Jesus Culture--which the title track of is a beautiful cover of two UPB songs :). Well, I bought a couple of songs from each album. But I had to inform you that my favorite, and the one I've had on repeat most of this week, is "One Thing Remains" by Chris Quilala of off "Come Away." Such a good one. [I just have to insert something here that some of you may be helpful... so, more and more songs on iTunes seem to be "album only." Well, I found a way around them. Amazon MP3 sells them as individual songs... sometimes they're 1.99 instead of .99, but if you're like me and not likely to buy the entire album, it's a steal... just an fyi :]

- Ok... random quote I've had in my head today:

"One minute your saving the whole galaxy! And the next minute you find yourself suckin' down darjeeling ... with Marie Antoinette and her little sister."

hahahahaha... :)

Well, the next 12 days are going to be intense. I have a take home final next weekend, an in class that monday, and another one that wednesday. But I also have - sunday the 5th: CCK Christmas Party. monday the 6th: Piano Recital. friday the 10th: Future of Forestry Christmas Worship Concert (I've been waiting all year to go back to this!!!). saturday the 11th: Charlli's concert choir. tuesday the 14th: Beks gets home!!!!!! =)

All that to say, I'm going to be really busy. No movies or TV for me. I'm already off of FB and Tumblr :(

But it'll be ok. On the 15th, I'll be a free woman :)

Cheers!

I raise my hands once again as the song soars... The keyboard, electric cello, and electric guitar has the crowd swaying when the guitarist pulls out a violin bow and begins to gently slide it across his guitar strings. "Led Zeppelin style," my brother whispers. All I know is it sounds like ecstasy...

Strains of "O holy night" strike my ears and I melt again! Then they start into another song--only this time with xylophones, tambourines, drums, cymbals, ukuleles, and a myriad of other instruments I could not even name. This time it's "Joy to the world." And this time I'm giddy while trying to decide if I want to enjoy the moment or capture it as a video on my phone.

Splicing Christmas Carols, adding hymns, recreating arrangements--the music is simply overpowering. Then one of the artists brings it down. He's on his acoustic now and the music is much simpler once again. "We are still in need of a Savior. America is oppressed--if it is in small ways like our economic crises, or in the injustice of human slavery. We need hope just like the Israelites. And these are our songs of hope..."

"Silent Night" has everyone singing along. peaceful yet profound :)

And I have to sit down at this point--to take it in, and to rest in the peace of the moment...

How do I describe the way the music moves me? These aren't just songs--they are Christmas songs! And not performed any old way... it's worship, pure worship! Music raptures me to somewhere simply indescribable.

This Future of Forestry Christmas Concert reminds of that. Their incredibly-gifted, opening act, Josiah James, reminds me of that. The Sacred Sounds of Christmas Concert I was at just a few weeks ago reminds me of that. Breathtaking! There comes a point as the music crescendos and I just don't want to ever leave... And it makes me so grateful! I'm so grateful that God created a world with music and flavor and color and aromas and sensations--we could have survived without all those things, but He gave them to us anyway! And I'm so happy for that!

And I really do think about all these things as Future of Forestry wraps up another Christmas Carol... :)