New Music Tuesday:Taylor Swift
New music Tuesday..on Wednesday…I know I know. Give me a break this time 
Some of you are like “what is new music Tuesday?” Well my goal is to introduce you to a new artist or album every Tuesday but lately I’ve been failing to do so. It’s not that there isn’t some great music out there…it’s just that I haven’t had much time to listen to it!
But moving on…
Yesterday Taylor Swift released her new album “Speak Now
As with most of her songs, you are brought through a situation/story that emotionally attaches you to the characters she sings about. Whether it be about love or heartbreak or even a need for revenge, this album covers it all and it covers it well. There was actually a song where at the end I said outloud (to my tv i was playing it on) “so what happened??” haha. Her music tells a story while still having you sing along – not commonly done these days.
So I highly suggest you check out this album and support this young talented girl. Use the link above to purchase it!
Maternity Leave
So my maternity leave began yesterday. Chris works from home. This means that the both of us are really just sitting around our 2 bedroom apartment, with our cat, awaiting Charlotte’s arrival. To be honest, the whole situation makes me nervous.
What if my hormones go all crazy and Chris doesn’t know how to handle me?
What if we both want to use the tv at the same time and neither one of us wants to mention it (yes, we have 1 tv)?
What if I’m annoying to be with for this many hours in a row?
What am I supposed to do on maternity leave BEFORE there is a baby to feed, change and take care of?
The questions and curiosities are endless!
So over the past 2 days I’ve mentioned these things to my husband. It’s amazing how great communication can be. I’m assured that my craziness is to be expected and he’ll love me anyway. I can voice if I want to kick him off a video game to use the tv but have also found contentment in using my computer to stream Netflix in the bedroom. We went to Barnes & Noble to buy some books and have enjoyed our new blu ray player. So far, boredom does not exist…just excitement and anxiety as we wait for contractions to be more than 2 hours apart.
So hello maternity leave. Hello sleeping until I feel like getting up, going into town at any time, watching movies during the day and reading books with my cat sleeping on the bed next to me. The nursery is 95% complete, Charlotte’s clothes are clean, hospital bags are packed and the car seat is installed. So what’s next? Chris and I are going on a date tonight. Taking the advice of many, we figure this may be our last time to have a nice night out just the 2 of us for a while.
Any other advice on what I should do during this waiting period? I’ve heard sleep, go on dates, relax and freeze some food…anything else oh wise readers?
New Music Tuesday:Addison Road
If you’ve ever listened to Contemporary Christian radio you’ve probably heard a song or 2 by the pop band Addison Road. They sing the songs “All That Matters,” “Hope Now,” and “What Do I Know of Holy.” Well after what felt like a long wait, their second album, Stories, is now available for pre-order and is due out on June 22nd. I’ve only heard the samples as I haven’t pre-ordered the album but I can honestly say that if you liked their debut album, you’ll probably like this one too. I know, I’m not giving you much to go by but it’s because I don’t know where I stand on this album yet. I like their first cd. I own it. I sing along to it in the car. I worship to it in the quiet of my home. But I think part of me expected something a bit more from their 2nd release. But again, it’s hard to say based on 30 second samples. So my advice to you? Check it out. See what ya think. And support them if you’re diggin it!
Little Red Ants
About 2 weeks ago I had to drop my car off at Mazda after the shop had closed, meaning I had to fill out that fun after-hours form and leave my keys in an envelope. Not a big deal. I grabbed an envelope and a pen from my purse and leaned on the stone wall next to the door while attempting to remember minor details such as my odometer reading (why do I NEVER look at it BEFORE filling out the form?) Anyway, as I’m filling out this horrible form (what color IS my car anyway? I always write Indigo because I really don’t know if it’s blue or purple), I realize there is a little red ant crawling next to the paper. EW. Wait. There is another..and another…and oh my gosh, without realizing it, I was leaning on a wall COVERED in little red ants.
How did I NOT see this before I started writing? Well the answer is simple. They’re teeny tiny ants and I wasn’t looking carefully at what I was doing.
How often in life do we do things like this? We have an agenda in our head and just jump right in without looking at our surroundings first. And then we’re surprised and appalled when we realize what we just put ourselves in the middle of. I hate to admit it, but I do it a lot. I assume that things are a certain way. I put my faith in things that aren’t promised to stay the same. I try to live in this non-existent world of everything being stable and un-changing and then I’m shocked when everything is different than I expect it to be.
I get hurt easily by assuming things. I make stupid mistakes because I don’t look at the CURRENT situation first. Like with the ant wall. Just because there were no ants on the wall last time I was at Mazda, sure doesn’t guarantee that there would be no ants that day. So why did I not look? I wish I knew. How do you live a life completely aware of your surroundings? I’m on a mission to find out.
Fun Friday Videos!
Since it’s a beautiful Friday AND the last Friday I’m working until September (hello maternity leave!!), today I’m proud to entertain you with TWO Friday videos.
The first is a classic 90s dance song to a hilarious video.
The second is a clip from Parks & Recreation. Tom took a Roomba and attached an iPod dock to create “DJ Roomba!” Chris and I have been talking about it since we saw this episode. And since we DO have a roomba AND an iPod dock…we may have to try this one out!
Here a Slump, There a Slump, Everywhere a Slump Slump
Catchy and upbeat title for something so negative huh? Well that’s the theme.
I might be writing this blog only for me but I have a feeling it’ll probably help some of you also.
Ever been in a slump? I’m talking a real funk. Nothing medical, just one or two or five of those days where you just don’t seem to want to do anything? Nothing is right. Maybe nothing is even wrong. You’re just down, unhappy, out of it, don’t want to do anything, can’t find a smile and want to spend the whole day in bed, or watching movies or just not speaking with anyone? And when you do talk, all that comes out is complaints, frustrations and maybe even tears. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, congratulations – you can stop reading here. But I think most of us know some form of this feeling.
Personally, I’ve been in a slump for the past 24 hours. It started with a phone call telling me that my doctors appointment had to be pushed back a few hours when I was already on my way there, continued when the doctor informed me that he wants to see me again in 10 days (wait, you mean I won’t be in labor before then? How much longer do I have to be pregnant?!!), and then came to a peak this morning when I realized that I’m in a complete creative funk: blogs not written, cameras with dust on them and poems with no endings. Well hello tears, bad mood & screaming voices in my head. So I did what any normal (ha) person would do. I cried. I sulked. I slept on the couch after getting out of bed for the day. I turned to coffee. I told myself how horrible this day was going to be. And then I looked at the clock and realized that it was awfully early to consider a day ruined. So then I did what any abnormal person would do. I closed my eyes and prayed whatever I could to a God who won’t tell me I’m crazy for feeling this way. I read a devotional about the need for desperate reassurance and meditated on the scriptures “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)” and “Whatever is true…think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9). And then I took action. I did the things that I know make me feel better. I wrote in my journal about how blessed I’ve been these past few months. I brushed my messy hair and put my favorite smoothing shine spray in it – something that makes me feel a bit less untamed. I took a few minutes to sit with my vanity mirror and put on some makeup – something that always makes me feel more attractive. I put on the necklace my parents got me for my birthday – something that reminds me I’m loved. I read the birthday card Chris got me this year – something that reminds me how desired I am. And I’m writing this blog – something that reminds me it’s not hard to get out of a creative funk.
Am I all fixed? Nope! But do I feel better than I did an hour ago? You bet.
What do you do when you’re in a slump? And what CAN you do to survive the slump?
NERD ALERT: Do You Swag?
Okay seriously, I’m proving myself nerdier by the day. I was very proud of the fact that Chris and I both had Razor cell phones from years ago that still work well. We didn’t give in to the smart phone craze. Sure we both have iTouches and I have a netbook and we have lots of fun electronics and gadgets…but cell phones..we were old school. Well, that was until his Razor died the other day and the Android starting whispering his name. Well, within that whisper was a “buy one get one free for Jess” secret message. So as you can probably predict, we now both have super fancy techy phones. And we’re loving them. I’m already obsessed w/ taking pictures of everything I’m doing that no one else really cares about. So what happened to my pink Razor? Would you believe that my 25 year old insurance-selling NYC loving brother is using it? Yes, I’m serious. He’s very secure in his manliness I suppose. I just hope no one on the train beats him up.
So what else makes me nerdy? The fact that I’m posting about Swagbucks today. And not only am I posting about it, I’m excited about it! For those of you who “swag,” did you know that today is a BIG day? There are going to be 5 codes given out! For those of you who wondering what the heck I’m talking about…go over to Swagbucks and sign up (using me as a reference)! It’s a fun and easy way to earn prizes. I just cashed in some of my “bucks” for $5 Amazon Gift Cards. And I plan on using them to buy the new Jimmy Needham album. Pretty cool huh? All for free…just taking minutes/day.
When you sign up you’ll get 30 free “bucks” to get started and if you enter the code SUMMEROFSWAG you’ll get an extra 20 “bucks”!
**The first code was just released!! It’s: KickItOffRight5IUA5W – go over to the swagbucks homepage and enter it in to win some “bucks” now!
Real Desires of the Heart
Normally my blog posts come about by what God puts on my heart. Whether it’s seeing something and deciding to write about it, having a dream, or experiencing something in life. However, every once and a while, I see a theme in the other blogs I read and feel the need to write about it. I haven’t read through all of my daily blogs but I’ve already read 2 that talk about REAL desires as opposed to the things we let ourselves believe. Not really sure what I mean? Well how about this. Do you ever say something but really mean something else? No, never! heh. Now how about this…do you ever trick yourself into believing that what’s coming out of your mouth is truth and ignore what’s really going on in your heart? Ouch. Probably have to say yes to that one also.
The tricky thing about being human is that we were created with these amazing brains. They have this miraculous way of connecting to our mouth and connecting to our heart but not always connecting the 3 together. This is where the problems arise.
I haven’t figured out exactly what God wants me to learn from all of this today – but I know there is going to be something revealed if I let him reveal it. Because the truth is, I don’t think many people go a day or 2 without being deceived by their own motives and desires. I might say that I’m over something, but my heart screams otherwise when I sit down and think about the situation. I might smile at someone I don’t like and tell myself that I’ve chosen to love them but what am I thinking about as soon as they do something annoying again? How fickle are my emotions and do I let those emotions control me and my actions? Do I tell myself one thing HOPING that one day I’ll actually feel that way?
All stuff to think about. And I’m sure your questions are different but along the same path. Take some time to think about it. Pray about it. Figure out what your REAL desires are and what you’re incorrectly believing.
I’m going to leave you today with a little phrase that’s been sitting on my desk since I started my job over 4 years ago. “What’s my motive?”
Think about it. If we think about our true desires and motives before letting our emotions control our mouths, how much better off would we be right now?
New Music Tuesday:deeflash
Those mk837 guys are on fire lately! Deeflash just released his newest single “Missing You” with some killer remixes by Dima, Kevin Oneel and The Tribesman. I could sit here and write a whole blog on why you should check out the release but instead I’ll give you the inside scoop on this track that you can read WHILE listening to the song.
So…
STEP 1: listen to a sample of “Missing You” original mix by clicking play below:
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STEP 2: read my story. For those of you that don’t know, I work for a trade show management company. What’s that you say? Well, in the simplest terms, we manage trade shows at the Javits Center in NYC. So that means that 4 times/ year, when the shows I work on occur, I have to go to the city for a week of work. The company is very generous and puts us up in nice hotels in midtown and pays for our meals and all that but for a happily married couple, it’s a bit rough on us. I miss Chris like crazy and well, as this song proclaims in the title, he misses me too. This is a song that Chris wrote for me while I was away. It’s one of the sweetest things a guy can do. So as a result…my face is on the cover (and yes, it’s an old pic). I’d explain the reasoning behind the artwork but I find that it’s better to let people interpret it as they see fit. A lot of times art has an amazing way of expressing things that you don’t even see when you create the art piece. God is so cool that way.
STEP 3: Head over to iTunes or beatport or here and purchase the release. Not only are you supporting Chris/deeflash & the guys at MK837, you’re keeping good Christian electronic music alive. With so much crappy music out there, why not support the artists who are putting out quality music that won’t eat away at your soul?
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MK837′s goal is to bring quality releases from known and up and coming artists. What you can expect from MK837 is some of the best breaks and house music with a twist.
New Music Tuesday:House of Heroes
House of Heroes is coming out with a new album soon. Today we get to hear one of the new songs! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
(If you missed my interview with them – click here!)
House of Heroes “God Save The Foolish Kings” lyrics video from Gotee Records on Vimeo.
I Recommend…
Hey all! Happy Monday!
Today all I want to do is recommend a few things to you. No one is paying me or is blackmailing me to do this. I just thought you might be interested in a few things I spend my time doing.
1 – Swagbucks. It’s a simple way to earn prizes online…just by using their search engine!
2 – Coupons. I do a lot of coupon searching and will probably do a full blog on it but here are a few blogs I recommend following:
3 – (In)courage. It’s a great womens devotional site that I love following:
Enjoy these sites – more to follow in another blog!
Fun Friday Dance Video!
Can someone say “helllo beautiful Friday?” Seriously. It’s sunny. It’s warm. It’s Friday. Not much could be better. Or so you think. I bet I can make your day just a bit better. Want to know how? DANCING MONKEYS!
Today’s video is a great find by my love who knows that I think monkeys make everything better.
So, happy Friday. Here’s to dancing monkeys. And if you just can’t get enough, check out the 2nd dancing monkeys remix video!
Expectations: Choose Wisely
Expectations are probably the biggest source of many people problems. You know what I’m talking about – the issues that arise between 2 fairly intelligent people. I’ve been learning how expectations and assumptions can really tear a situation to pieces very quickly. “He said” “She said” He should have” “She should have” “I didn’t”….phrases sound familiar huh? It’s called shifting the blame away from yourself based upon expectations or assumptions. And we all do it.
But what happens when it’s done to you and there is nothing you can do about it? Well I’m finding that you have 3 choices. You can defend yourself, you can get walked all over, or you can get through it and move on.
The choice to defend. It’s somewhere in our blood that we don’t like to be wrong or challenged. We all have it. That need to be right, to be justified, to be defended. Whether we defend ourselves or we find the right person to stand by our side, we’ll fight to the end to not accept the blame being placed on us…whether it’s accurate or not. In the end, I find that this accomplishes nothing except a nice big wedge between the accused and accuser. In the end, you both are stubborn and no one is right. It’s a situation that doesn’t get solved…just ignored until it happens again.
The choice be get walked all over. Call it insecurity, call it a door mat, call it a people-pleaser. Call it what you will, but in the end, whether you were right or wrong, you’re giving someone else the upper hand and admitting to being wrong, even if you weren’t. Some people call it being peaceful but I don’t think there is anything right about another person’s expectations becoming your reality. I don’t believe in giving power to evil doing or keeping quiet when something needs to be said. In the end, you both lose. You are accepting a reputation or mindset that you didn’t earn and the accuser is given the ego and power of conquering a situation. And things between the 2 of you will never be the same. This situation WILL happen again and you’ve now enabled it to happen to someone else as well.
The choice to get through it and move on. Someone else’s expectations and assumptions are not your fault. You cannot take responsibility for the way another person thinks. However, you can take responsibility for how you react to them. You can hear the person out, talk about the confusion and apologize for a misunderstanding when you can understand their point of view. You’re not accepting the blame, but you are being compassionate of the frustration they have felt because of the situation. You can voice your side of the story and figure out between the 2 of you how to avoid this in the future. And then you can both move on with this situation behind you. Honestly, you both win.
So what happened to cause this blog you ask? Life happened. Work happened. God created people and Eve ate the apple. It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday, last week, last month or last year. These situations arise when people have to interact with one another. Next time remember that you DO have a choice in how you deal with situations. Choose wisely.
New Music Tuesday:Brother Brooks
Some people say that in order to get to know a musician, you have to get to know his music. Nothing could be more true, as evident by MK837‘s newest release: Brother Brooks’ downtempo album, Salt Symphony. For those of you who don’t know Brother Brooks on a personal level, you’ll just have to trust me when I say that this full length album is a musical representation of who he is and what he’s all about.
I’ve had the privilege to listen to this album before it’s official debut and I can honestly say that it’ll stay on my iPod for the following reasons:
- Every song is different. No matter how much I like an artist, if you give me an album of 10 songs that all sound alike, I’ll only make it through 5 of them before switching to something else. This album is not like that. Each track is a musical journey in itself.
- No song is over 6 and a half minutes. I love electronic music but getting me to listen to a 10 minute track is as impossible as getting me to like ghetto rap music. It just ain’t happenin.
- When I hear tracks such as “Single Serving” and “Salt Symphony,” I can picture Brooks at Cornerstone dancing to his own music. There is something nice about an artist that loves his art.
- There is an overwhelming innocence to some of the tracks. “Simple Taste” and “Sleep Child” bring me to a place of peace and simplicity. I don’t often find that in electronic music.
- “Layover” is one of the coolest, most original tracks I’ve heard in a while.
- The album is just plain good. You can tell how much Brother Brooks believes in his music and has fun creating it.
Think it’s worth a try? Head on over to MK837′s Release Page to preview the album and order it through your favorite download site.
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MK837′s goal is to bring quality releases from known and up and coming artists. What you can expect from MK837 is some of the best breaks and house music with a twist.
A Love Lesson
Husband, Wife, Spouse, Significant Other, Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Lover, Guy I’m Seeing, Girl I’m Seeing…we have so many terms for that person in our life that just makes everything a bit better. And let me start off by saying, if you have someone in your life that you call by one of these terms and they DON’T make everything a bit better…I’d really start looking at the reasons why and see what you can do to make things better.
My husband is amazing. He knows I feel this way but for some reason I feel the need to tell the world today. I don’t know why he puts up with my craziness, but he does. And he does it with a smile. If I’m tired, he tucks me into bed. If I’m hungry, he makes me food. If I’m crying because nothing fits, he takes me shopping. If I have a craving, he does what he can to help. (The poor guy almost drove to NJ on a Saturday just to get me Chic-fil-a. Luckily I came to my senses and decided it was a craving worth saving for a more convenient time.) The basic point is this, my husband is my hero. Every single day I find a reason to fall more in love with him than the day before. See that? I FIND a reason. It’s not always what I feel or see first, but it’s always there.
So many people these days don’t appreciate the person they’re with. Their expectations are too high, they’re too selfish, they’re too blinded by what they think they deserve…the list goes on. But in my (almost) 4 years of marriage I’ve learned this. Love is a choice. It’s not always a feeling or emotion. I’m sure I could find one thing Chris does every day that drives me insane. But I choose to find one thing every day that I love about him. Sure there are days that I’m mad or annoyed with him, but there is never a day that I let myself not love him. And I know he does the same.
I thought it was a point worth sharing. Love who you’re with for who they are.
My name is Jessica and I'm a proverb31girl. These are my thoughts on living a proverb31 girl life. I invite you to join me on this journey!Subscribe
Artwork for Sale by Caitlin Lecker!
