grab another cup

Monday, August 29, 2011

stay creative.

i saw this video on jon acuff's blog and loved it so much, i'm posting it on mine as well.

enjoy.

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Friday, August 26, 2011

friday photos: 2011.34

friday, august 19

t.g.i.f.

saturday, august 20

mr. & mrs. grubbs!

sunday, august 21

day-after-nashiversary

monday, august 22

my roommate babysits cute kids.

tuesday, august 23

lame.

wednesday, august 24

ryan. seth. jessica.

thursday, august 25

don't waste the paste.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

today i'm thankful for living in a city of dreamers. there's something to be said for a community focused on the arts, chasing ones dreams, and living out its passions. it's inspiring for someone like me who is still trying to figure it all out.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

wednesday wisdom #21

"we have the idea that god is going to do some exceptional thing, that he is preparing and fitting us for some extraordinary thing by and by, but as we go on in grace we find that god is glorifying himself here and now, in the present minute. if we have god's say-so behind us, the most amazing strength comes, and we learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways."

-oswald chambers

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

the beginning of the end.

august is flying by. i usually consider it my least favorite month of the year, primarily due to the outrageous heat. however, this august in nashville has been pretty mild, especially in comparison to earlier summer months. october remains my favorite month, with september falling not too far behind. i love everything about fall, and as usual i have several exciting plans to look forward to in the months ahead, leading up to the end of the year. i know it will all go by much quicker than i would like, but such is life.

i'm also realizing how few of my "11 in 11" i have accomplished. but there is still time to get stuff done, and honestly some of it i don't really care about anymore.

here's to the next four months, the best four of the year.

Monday, August 22, 2011

five moments in five years

as of this past saturday, i have officially lived in nashville for five years. and so, i've compiled a list of my top 5 nashville moments.

(in no particular order)

1. my friends katie and jess are from the north, like me, so this past december we had no problem bundling up and heading out into one of the worst winter storms i've seen in nashville. to us, it was nothing. we hopped in our car and drove to katie's friend andrew's apartment, where we decided to make our first caroling stop. only, we had the wrong apartment number. so we got a practice run of caroling for strangers. we finally found the right one, appropriately made fools of ourselves (in the best way possible), and drove back to our neighborhood. we stopped in on a few friends and also went door-to-door to old neighbors and strangers. we even got free hot chocolate from our favorite coffee shop. we had so much fun that katie (who no longer lives in nashville) promised to come back around christmas this year just so we can do it again.

2. nashville is obviously known for its live music, and a few years ago the mayor helped get a new, free, concert series going, called live on the green. they have pretty well-known artists perform on the lawn outside the courthouse, in the heart of downtown. there was one night in particular where the artist had the crowd sing part of the chorus. and as we did, he backed away from the mike and the band stopped playing their instruments. it was just the sound of 500 or more nashvillians singing... and when nashvillians sing, it might as well be a giant professional choir. listening to that while surrounded by the night sky and the city lights, it definitely ranks as one of my favorite moments in nashville.

3. easter 2010. there wasn't anything super magically about that day, but my family came down for the weekend and it was my first time ever hosting a real holiday. we had absolutely perfect weather the whole weekend (minus the massive amounts of pollen jaundicing everything it landed on). we also all piled in my car and drove down to the jack daniel's distillery in lynchburg, which is an absolutely gorgeous drive.

4. i previously wrote about how i got to be an extra on the set of a movie based off one of my favorite books. after writing that blog entry, i got to go back 3 or 4 other times, and so i have a feeling i might be all over the film. it's set to release this fall and i can't wait to see it. (you can watch the trailer here). also, here's a picture from a scene i'm in:

5. the flood. it seems strange to consider a natural disaster which killed over 20 people one of my favorite moments in nashville; but the way this city pulled together to help out neighbors, friends, and strangers really struck a chord with me. i think it's rare to find the kind of community this town has, especially in a city. nashville has always been a big small town, and that's one of the things i love about it. the flood gave proof to the old saying that it's when we are at our weakest that we are our strongest. if there was ever any doubt in my mind that nashville was home, the city's reaction to the flood changed that forever.