what upski.

what up my friends.

today i come back with a small outpouring of my hearts thoughts,
a few tunes
and a prayer.

this i know:
peace can abound in all things.
grace renews every nanosecond.
there is no such thing as an easy life, just faithfulness.
there is always room for a kind word.
self sacrifice is beautiful and hard, not weak.
forgiveness is far more about ourselves than anyone else.

today i pray to never let a day pass without gratitude.
 praying for never ending joy and excitement for each day.
while my heart can be overwhelmed within me, i am wonderfully made
- made to experience each day through grace.
not because i am good enough,
but because the Lord is good enough.

it's electric (music monday).

when i have to get in the zone for school, my taste in music varies quite a bit.

it's funny to think back through different stages and remember my playlists.

during high school i would play screamo on quiet in my headphones while i wrote papers, worked on projects and did wads and wads of math problems.

during my undergrad at Michigan State i had an endless amount of rap playlists.

it was like a pump up for those all nighters that i would pull - 

(seriously - howwww did i do that? i can't even imagine one good reason not to sleep at night anymore)

for a while after undergrad while i was taking random classes to get into grad school i would just have Jack Johnson and Bob Marley constantly streaming.

lately - as i have entered into my second year of grad school, i have found myself listening to electronic/dubstep music while i do my discussion boards and readings. 

so here are some of my favs as of late!

what do you listen to when you need to tackle a to do list??

(you may have also seen this video take the inter-webs by storm last year)

hasta!

music monday.

sorry. 

it's monday - therefore my brain doesn't work. therefore i couldn't think of a better title.

seriously monday - you are so dang sneaky. 

preparing for the week, 

praying for peace,

believing that all things work for good for those who wait on the Lord.

here are some tunes for your evening! 

while i sit here having to do homework, i hope you do me one better...

grab a hot drank, 

a good blanket 

and netflix the crap out of your Monday night!

hasta.

coastin on a dream.

i spent my weekend up at the beautiful TimberWolf Lake Younglife camp. if you've never heard of Younglife, you should seriously check it out. i have a link in my "ministries" tab. it was the weekend all the leaders from Michigan get together and spend time in the Word and planning together to kick off a great year of meeting and getting to know and mentor kids. it's pretty incredible what these young adults do for middle and high schoolers who really need positive role models. 

also - my little brother decided to get baptized this weekend while we were up there. 

it was pretty incredible. god works in hearts like we don't even understand!!

it is amazing to me to see my little baby brother growing up and becoming a man of God. 

the ways that we are shaped and molded are perfectly timed. 

also.

iiiiiiiiit's monday. 

just like the old days of long ago, it turns out i have some music for your ears.

i hope you like it!

had to get that Jack in here! his new album drops at midnight!!

yahoooooo!!!

there we are.

true confessions.
this post was meant to be put up last week, but the pictures i was trying to upload were not working and i was getting frustrated. i currently have a tiny little netbook and it has no photo editing software on it. therefore, my creative options are limited.

this week:
i have a flag football game (currently 3-0 and 1st in the league!)
i have my last two 3 hour nights of class for one of my summer classes.
first official summer golf league outing Friday - i just started last summer and now i'm hooked!
and celebrating a pretty awesome dad next weekend!

my dad found this one for me this past weekend at home. thanks dad!

and another.

popped up on my pandora and i just can't stop listening!

also - this past week marked a momentous event.
the annoucement of a new Jack Johnson album FINALLY!!
september 17th ya'll. it's going to be a great day.
and can i get a tour soon after? eh? eh?

hasta!

miss you, want you, need you so.

well hey there.

that was what i would like to call, an unintentional hiatus. aka- life got all kinds of crazy.

it started off with ending one of the hardest semesters ever, 

got weird when i lived on couches and out of my car for 10 days, 

(literally had my underwear drawer in my backseat)

got a little shifty when i moved to the beachtown of holland, mi for the summer 

and thus began my 30 minute commute back into the city from whence i came.

(yeah, i went there, deal)

all that to say. i am going to try to get back on this bandwagon! 

i mean i do love the blog world, been around for quite a while now!

in other news - since i have been gone, i also decided to exit the dark ages and now have my very first smart phone and hope that lots more pictures will ensue on this here bloggity blog.

tomorrow i have a new book review and later this week i'll do a recap on my awesome memorial weekend! but for now, here is (per usual) a few jams for your shortened work week.

hasta!

two good things: superheroes & imagine dragons.



just a classic jam.



two weeks til their new record!! elation. 

summer sun's callin' my name (music monday).

GAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

my very last assignment of the semester is due tonight at midnight.

of course it is gorgeous out today. 

i am currently sipping on my first iced coffee drink of the summer and sitting in the sun. 

however, i am not getting this paper written, so i will be posting these songs and then dragging my sad self into a quiet and dimly lit area in order to forget all semblance of an outside world.

however. at midnight tonight, not only is the longest and most draining semester of my life ending, but i am ringing in my 25th birthday. so that's pretty cool. or not, however you wanna look at it.

in the two weeks i get off before summer classes, i am cleaning my apartment like a mad woman and moving to my dream beach town for the summa.

i've got some content rolling around in my brain and another book review coming this week.

i am excited to start getting some more pictures up in here as well and look forward to a lot of adventure posts this summer.

cheers to you my friends and happy monday - or something like that...

jam.

in honor of that big yellow thing in the sky.

i just can't stop.

april showers (music monday).

it rained so much i thought i would float away last week, but i didn't mind it.

and i especially didn't mind it when i looked outside into a freak morning blizzard yesterday. give me back my rain i yelled! well today it is finally over 60! praise the Lawd. i may lose it shortly if it doesn't become and stay spring.

this weekend was jammed with school finals and practicals and this week is my last of the semester with enough stuff due that i am not quite sure how i will get it done. this time next week though, i will be home free and pumped for some time off! 

however, i did find time enough to go see Josh Garrels and Mason Jar Music perform at Calvin on saturday with Eric. and it was amazing. seriously, so good. everyone played like 4 instruments each and even though it was hipster overload, it was amazing.

also- my good news is that i get to move to Holland for the summer! i am SO excited. living in a beach town is my dream. i am still trying to get my hands on a scooter in order to complete the dream, but i am already quite happy! my little sister got an internship out there and needed a roommate and i thought i could handle the job.

anyways. here is what you're really here for. i know.

ya'll don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance.

also. can we just stop for a second. ron weasley. fah real.

throwback. this song makes me think of summer, so i just had to start playing it.

on the grind (music monday).

back on the grind after a not so warm and sunny trip south for the week.

but no complaints - it was a nice divergence and a great refresher to make it through these last chilly weeks before spring and summer finally show their faces. 

i am pretty pumped for the NCAA championship game tonight though! this is a tough call for me, a Spartan girl. i bleed green and have said i will NEVER cheer for scUM. ever. also, i have Louisville winning my brackets, therefore i have an obligation to cheer for them. 

however. when UM made their game winning shot to beat Kansas in the final minutes, i stood up, screamed and hugged my mother who was doing the same. we stopped. looked at each other. thought about it. didn't care. i am already bitter that my alma mater sucked it up and decided to exit the dance early. 

an MSU v. UM championship game would have been epic. 

however, it may also mean the world is ending, so i will hold on to that dream for another year.

so for now. i will leave you with some good tunes to get on your monday am grind.

this is a little throw back for your listening pleasure. it popped up on my ipod on the way home and i couldn't stop listening to it! (not a fan of rap music videos - so here is just the lyrics)

hasta!

hey from the FL (music monday).

hey guys! 

bringing you this edition of music monday from sunny and 80 degree florida.

and it feels amazing.

leaving michigan i couldn't even remember what it felt like to be warm and show my legs to the world and to be honest i was a little nervous about it. what if my body forgot how to sweat??

luckily - its all good. i made it. base tan in the books ya'll!

this means it will finally be spring when i get back right? right?

anyways. here are some tunes i have been listening to on this long roadtrip.

yes. we drove! beggars can't be choosers right?

hasta!

but to your name be the glory (music monday).

god makes beautiful things from the dust.

this week will be short and sweet with good things to look forward to.

i can't believe march is already winding down.

but i am heading to florida thursday night - so i am pretty happy about it. 

this weekend was an interesting one. i faced a lot of things.

nothing major, but all thought provoking.

it was a reminder of how incredible this life is. of how deep the Fathers love for us. how sweeping his grace. it was a reminder that our past is past, but it is a part of us. a reminder of the frailness of life and the immediacy there is to love. questions of what is important. what are we striving towards. and of course ultimately, do we trust the one who made us.

finding peace in the plan.

and also listening to some good tunes.

cheers to your monday!

monday morning.

this weekend was a good one.

Pi day.

MSU and the B1G tournament (even though we lost).

st. patty's day.

selection show and the beginning of Bracket-mania.

pretty sunsets.

good company and good conversations.

God has blessed me with a good life. as i move forward into this week i am prayerful that i am able to live more fully in grace. to both accept it more fully and give it away more fully. i am so much to be thankful for and i want to enjoy my life to the full and give Him thanks.

here is some music for your monday!

hasta!

that's not my name.

sorry tuesday...i know your name isn't monday...i am just dragging lately. 

i have so much to do for school i can't even think about writing more than this.

so without further adieu...here are some tunes.

warning. this song always makes me cry!

you can always be found (music monday +1).

i can't decide if it is a good thing or a bad thing when a day gets away from me and i'm not able to accomplish one of the more enjoyable things i could do on a monday, which is post good music for you to listen to! ahhh well, a day late (and more than a dollar short) here are my picks.

with the rolling in of March and a trip to Florida on the horizon, it is hard for me not to be in a sun/beach/tan/ahhhh kinda mood. this carries over to my music preferences as well.

also - i am officially two days into Insanity. am i insane? maybe, but seriously. guys. i want to accomplish this. i've never done something like this all the way through, so hopefully now that i've admitted to it on a public platform i can follow through. i mean, if i one day run for office, i wouldn't want people pulling up this post and calling me a liar. so in 60 days, i hope to be...insanitied?

this is not really about sun - but i discovered it this week and am obsessed.

steady as she goes (music monday).

the sun. the sun. the sun.

it was shining today.

it was glorious. even though i was inside most of the day.

but it brought with it enough beams to fill me with a joyous hope.

the last week was totally the winter blahs.

i am ready for Feb to be over with, that's for sure!

i couldn't drag myself around and was totally worthless.

this morning, while i prayed for the week and thought about what i need to accomplish, i felt a small burst of excitement in my heart - do you ever get that? just for no real reason.

just the feeling of change coming and a horizon that shows opportunity. 

i am the kind of person who gets freaked out when i feel trapped.

i feel a need within me to roam and never stay in one area too long.

i like spontaneity and excitement, so it helps my heart when i feel hope.

just this morning thinking through the week, there is potential in so many areas of my life and i am excited to see how the Lord continues to bring me back to himself through it all and create in me a  more abundant awe revere of himself a midst all that i get excited about.

but, enough of this ramble.

here are some tunes for your dusky Monday.

the M word (music monday).

just some jams to get your Monday off to a great start.

do work.

can you name what movie this song was in?

always good.

i have been pumping this one through my car. 

matt & kim have so many great hooks and layers in their songs.

hastaaaaa.

and the grammy goes to...(music monday).

back on the ball.

the Grammys.

obviously this resulted in lotssssss of music.

good, bad or indifferent.

one of my favorite wins was for my man Lecrae. 

christian rap.

is it possible? could it be good?

yes.

in honor of 

a good man, musician and Christ-follower getting some glory,

here is some christian rap for your monday morning.

if this doesn't wake you up...

get some more coffee.

come on people.

we got work to do.

we can cry about it...

or we can dance about it.

hasta!

this new thing, called music...tuesday?

is today really tuesday? noooo....

well, my bad! i am so sorry to keep you waiting for some good tunes, the day got away from me.

lets be honest - i was just so excited for the Bachelor, all other things fell to the wayside. 

i mean, what is better than 4 hours of junky tv to waste your time? 

well, a lot of things!!

on the plus side - your week is already one day down. 

adios Monday, no one likes you anyways.

this week, lets do a little side by side.

one of my favorite songs - Fire & Rain.

hasta!

the edge (music monday).

one of the biggest things i miss from back home is my favorite radio station.

94.1 the edge, alternative radio, was always my fav growing up. 

(previously known as 92.1)

whenever i drive home i always check to see when it starts to come in - i get so excited when it does and i can start listening to all of my favorite songs and lots of good new ones.

this past weekend when i headed home these were a few i heard and can't stop singing!

enjoy!

also.

if you haven't watched this video yet - do it now.

not cool robert frost!! 

guilty pleasures (music monday).

i should probably just stop making empty promises and just surprise you with a random content post when least expect it! which would be....ever??

here are my top two guilty pleasure songs right now.

no judging.

((oh, and you're welcome for getting these stuck in your head all day))