Shelter by Birdy

Skinny Love

so much to celebrate

In celebration of the commencement of Christmas break we took a trip with my parents up to Mt. Laguna to get in to the Christmas spirit and capture some christmasy pictures for our Christmas card. I was expecting a few patches of snow and when we arrived it was a complete winter wonderland with miles and miles of perfect fresh snow. Erick and I cringed as we stood there all dressed up watching the little kids sled ride! We wanted to be out there with them soooo badly.. but we are planning a second trip and next time we will dress a little warmer and take our sleds along! 

We ended the perfect day with a delicious dinner at BJ's with erick's family in celebration of erick's NEW JOB!! That's right, he is officially an ENGINEER with a real salary and benefits and all that jazz. I can't believe it! I watched him work so hard for the last four and a half years of college and now all of that incredible work has paid off. He's amazing and deserves the absolute best which is exactly what God has provided to him through this incredible job opportunity... and what better way to celebrate than eating a PAZOOKIE!? yum.

Getting my life back

So this blog of mine has been completely neglected and forgotten about, poor thing. But finally for the first time since August I have this amazing thing in my life called spare time! After a hellish and miserable two weeks I finished my very last final of the semester at 130 pm on thursday. This semester was absolutely brutal. Working 35+ hours a week and taking five classes was one of the worst ideas I've had yet.. Wouldn't wish that kind of stress on anyone. With the exception of a few hours playing my piano and the extra ten minutes I would spend in the shower every morning trying to gain composure, there was absolutely NO free time alloted for in my schedule. Every now and then I would cheat and take a day of but man would I pay the next day!! So the combination of school being over and working less has been nothing short of amazing. It's only been four days and I feel like a whole new person. Today was the first day I was able to sleep in because I worked all weekend and it seriously changed my life!! Amazing what a little sleep can do. So needless to say I am so thankful and excited for the next five weeks! I can't wait to cram in all of the fun that I missed the last four months.I can't wait to get my free time, amazing friends and beautiful family back! It's going to be incredible.

Its always the little things

At least once every semester I get to a point in school when I feel like my brain is about to explode. Papers, homework, group projects, presentations and five of the hardest tests of your life all bundled up in a merciless two week time span. It's when I get to the the point of absolute frustration and exhaustion that I let my academic left brain take a load off while I sneak in moments for creativity. They are short, few and far between but they get me through and keep me sane in the midst of what seems like an endless cycle of busyness. Every hour that I work diligently in school or at work makes each moment behind my piano or in front of a canvas that much sweeter. So, here's to the little things in life that keep us sane!

He's got the whole world in his hands

On my list of many things to do today is an interesting task.

"Your assignment is to read and write about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

(SETI). Specifically, briefly give informed commentary on:

A. Do you think they are out there, somewhere? Why or why not?"

So as I am researching articles proving or disproving that extraterrestrial beings are out there somewhere in an unknown galaxy I came across this. The following is an excerpt from one of my articles about the many different components necessary in any planet to be able to sustain life and I can't help but sit in awe of what an incredible creator we have. If just one of these components were missing or altered life as we know it would be impossible.

"In their book of that title, Rare Earth authors Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee, both of the University of Washington have outlined a short list of conditions needed: Right distance from a

star; habitat for complex life; liquid water near surface; far enough to avoid tidal lock; right mass of star with long enough lifetime and not too much ultraviolet; stable planetary orbits; right

planet mass to maintain atmosphere and ocean with a solid molten core and enough heat for plate tectonics; a Jupiter-like neighbor to clear out comets and asteroids; plate tectonics to build up

land mass, enhance bio-diversity, and enable a magnetic field; not too much, nor too little ocean; a large moon at the right distance to stabilize tilt; a small Mars-like neighbor as possible source

to seed Earth-like planet; maintenance of adequate temperature, composition and pressure for plants and animals; a galaxy with enough heavy elements, not too small, elliptical or irregular;

right position the galaxy; few giant impacts like had 65 million years ago; enough carbon for life, but not enough for runaway greenhouse effect; evolution of oxygen and photosynthesis; and, of

course, biological evolution."

Amazing, right?

He's got the whole world in his hands.

Time to Detox

I have never felt more out of shape and disgusted with my eating habits than I do now. I'm ready for an all natural detox. I saw this on pinterest and I think I might give these smoothies a try. This time of year it is so hard to resist the cakes, brownie and christmas treats that seem to get thrown at you from every direction. Plus, working at starbucks and getting free beverages of ANY kind certainly doesn't help keeping the pounds off. I am tired of feeling sluggish and gross.. ready to get some healthy energy!

Flat Tummy

Rich in digestion supporting ingredients, this smoothie will help prevent bloating and digestive stress that can sabotage your tummy flattening efforts.

• 3/4 c. papaya
• 3/4c. sliced peaches
• 1/2 pear, sliced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 mint leaves
• Water to thin

Skin Saver

Antioxidants in berries are known to help to fight wrinkles and other skin ageing signs.  Berries are also a great way to control blood sugar that can sabotage your complexion.  This smoothie also contains Omega 3, to fight inflammation, as well as vitamins E and C, both renown to help the skin.

• 3/4 c blueberries
• 3/4 c pitted cherries
• 5   strawberries
• 1/4 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 tsp wheat germ (optional)
• 2 tsp ground flaxseed
• Water, to thin

Peanut Butter Energy Booster

This protein-rich and minerals-filled smoothie will give you long-lasting energy.  Cinnamon will help to control your blood sugar so your energy level won’t crash too quickly.

• 1 big banana
• 1 scoop of natural hemp protein powder
• 2 tsp of natural peanut butter
• 1 handful of fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• Water, to thin

Bone Lover

This vitamin-rich green smoothie contains calcium, magnesium and other bone building minerals to keep your bone strong and healthy.

• 2 bananas
• 1 handful of Swiss chard leaves, stems removed
• 1 handful of kale leaves
• 1 tsp of green Matcha powder
• 1/2 cup of homemade almond milk

Immune System Booster

Rich in vitamin A, C and zinc, this smoothie can increase the production of white blood cells and antibodies to get your body ready to resist this season’s infections.

• 1/2 c. mango cubes
• 1/2 c. cantaloupe cubes
• 1/2 c. fresh pineapple cubes
• 1/4 c. chopped pumpkin seeds
• Water, to thin

Natural Skin Tanner

Studies have proven that a beta-carotene rich diet can make your complexion glow, and that particular skin tone is usually considered healthier than a regular skin tan. This smoothie can help you get that healthy glow without risking your skin lying under the sun.

• 1/2 cup of cantaloupe cubes
• 1/2 cup of papaya
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup of carrot juice (or water)
• 1 small knob of fresh ginger

Antioxidant Power

Feel the power of this detox foods-rich smoothie.  Very rich in antioxidants, this smoothie will help to support your liver to detox naturally and help your body stay healthy and young longer.

• 1/3 cup of blueberries
• 1/3 cup of raspberries
• 1/3 cup of pomegranate kernels
• 1/4 cup of beet juice (optional)
• 1 banana
• Water to thin 

Another day, Another Song

Turn your eyes from all this way,
I have prove to live a dastardly day I,
hid my face from the Saints and the Angels who sing of Your glory.
What you had in mind,
when we seek we'll find shine show me grace.

A little more than I can give,
a little more than I deserve.
On earth this holiness I can't earn, It's a,
little more than I can give, A little more than I deserve.

For all the sin that lives in me,
it took a nail to set me free still,
what I do I don't wanna do and so goes the story.
What you had in mind,
When we seek we'll find shine show me grace.

A little more than I can give,
a little more than I deserve.
On earth this holiness I can't earn, It's a,
little more than I can give, A little more than I deserve.

With all this motivation,
I still find a hesistation deep in my soul, Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
Despite all my demanding, I still find you understanding.
Show me grace, Show me grace, is....

A little more than I can give,
a little more than I deserve.
On earth this holiness I can't earn, It's a,
little more than I can give, A little more than I deserve.

A little more by Jennifer Knapp

If I die young

Tonight's project.. Needs a lot of love but we'll get there!

Enough is enough

I've been talking about working out for what seems like YEARS and it just never happens.. I don't have time, a work out partner or I don't have money for an expensive gym membership. My good friend Kailey told me about this gym called crunch which is right down the road from me. We went there last night for a free trial and I absolutely loved it! All the equipment is brand new and as clean as a whistle. We ran 2 miles on the treadmill, then did lots of legs on various machines and finished up with a ton of abs. It felt so good to have someone to work out with, keeping me motivated and accountable and overall it was a super productive work out! I even got a free 10 minute hydromassage... amazing! So Kailey left with a new gym membership and I'm going to join next month, I need to save up a little :)

I would encourage you to join if you live near one of their locations. Its so nice and SO cheap.. It's only $10/month with a $29.00 annual fee. So reasonable!! And for $19.99/month you get unlimited tanning and massages, a nice perk! They offer tons of classes like zumba, yoga and kickboxing which are all included in you $10/month. Kailey and I are going to try zumba once I become a member!! I can't wait!

Bring on the new music

Have you heard of SPOTIFY? Its a free music downloading program with every song, album and artist you could possibly think of. It links to your facebook and posts all of the music which you are listening to which is sort of annoying but that has been the only complaint that I have had about this program. I've been able to find so many new artists and download their entire albums and listen to them for hours on end. It's amazing. So here are a few good picks that I've discovered recently.

In addition to my discovery of spotify, my passion for new music was sparked by the two live concerts I got to go to last week. My professor is a professional musician and played last weekend at Dizzy's jazz club in dowtown san diego so I went to see his performance (for extra credit of course). Then on thursday Lindsey invited me to see Aloe Blacc with her at the Casbah in San Diego as well. I am now in love with Aloe Blacc... he is amazing!! I posted a couple of his songs here but you should browse through youtube or spotify and check out a few more. His stuff is great and he is quite the entertainer I must say!!

Inspired Moments

In my short 21 years here I have realized quickly that in life there are inevitable cycles. We cycle through seasons, months, and weeks. And in the same way, each day has a cycle of its own. We find ourselves caught up in our daily routine which is full of a lot "have to's" and only a few "want to’s". Currently on my “have to” list are the all consuming tasks of getting my education and working which together consumes more than 50 hours of my week. Then tack on the additional 15 hours a week of homework, allow some time for the necessities like sleeping and eating and just like Houdini my time for “want to’s” seems to vanish before my own eyes. I find myself skimming through my calendar on a daily basis trying to schedule something artistic and relaxing, anything to take my mind off of the “R” word responsibilities… then once I’m two weeks out I just give up and hope to squeeze it in somewhere along the way. It kills the mood of excitement when you have to flip your calendar to the next month to schedule some time to relax. “Ahhh the joys of becoming an adult.” Don’t get me wrong, this is not to be misinterpreted as a pity party about my life. I am astonished by the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon me and do not take one aspect of my life for granted. My family, my boyfriend, my friends, my job, my classes, the food I eat, the sleep I get… these are all blessings straight from God. BUT I have realized that no matter how much God blesses you with incredible things, you will still have to work to be inspired by the life that you live. It is your life after all, you are in charge of making it extraordinary because no one else is going to do it for you.  You may have to search high and low for moments of inspiration within your day because simply put, life isn’t always as exciting as you expected to be, people aren’t always as kind as you hoped and passion isn’t always as prevalent as you desired. But with the right mindset you can bring excitement to the mundane, find the joy in every person and infuse your believes with an uncontrollable passion that you can’t deny. It all depends on the perspective that you have towards your circumstances and the realization that inspiration doesn’t always come in the form of an epiphany or that light bulb moment when it “just clicks”. Just as the Lord doesn’t hang flashing neon signs over our heads when He wants our attention, He asks us to stop, be still and listen for a still small voice (which seems like a LOT to ask when you’re in the midst of your daily cycle, right?). Inspiration is not always obvious and in your face. It hides in the shadows and if you can't find it then you might just have to BECOME the very inspiration that you are searching for. I have been thinking about this since I started working as a barista The starbucks I work at is a a drive thru and often times I am standing at that window for 8 hours straight. I have had hundreds of encounters with people since I first started working there. Every day, at least once a day I have an encounter with someone who seems to be genuinely rude, stone-faced and unresponsive to my attempts of bringing them a little joy to their day. It drives me crazy. Its moments like these when I feel the LEAST inspired. However, I started an experiment inspired by this cheesy little quote “If you see someone without a smile give them yours." It sounds a little silly but try it! It’s not as easy as it sounds. Looking someone in the eye and smiling after they’ve given you a dirty look, made a rude comment or are on their phone completely ignoring you is not easy. Although this is a miniscule example, I learned through this that in order to represent JOY and encounter inspiration I will have to BECOME it by humbling myself and making the choice, the sacrifice to be kind. Live inspired. Make sacrifices. Abide in Humility. Cultivate change by setting an example to others. I may not think I have the power to “be the change I want to see in the world” but I can start by being THE JOY and THE INSPIRATION that I want to see in others. 

I'm literally the worst blogger in the history of all bloggers that ever lived. I think this might be my first post of the summer which is almost over. Oops. 

New song I learned and decided to cover. The original artist is Priscilla Ahn. She's amazing. Hope you enjoy my take on it.

Song Covers

Hopefully by the end of this summer I will have a complete line up of song covers which I have started but for now I only have one.. enjoy!

summer dream

She's living out my summer dream.. this girl rocks

possibly THE cutest thing ever I've ever seen

you HAVE to see this!!

suddenly the world is right again..

I had to force myself this weekend to put in a few hours in front of the piano. This is my last week of school before finals week so saying life is hectic is an understatement and my brain is almost completely fried from all of the reading and studying that I have forced on it. Once my things to do lists reaches a certain point I always cut out any time alloted for creativity and this just ends up contributing to my insanity.. so this weekend I switched it up a little.. I still spent endless hours wasting life away with my nose in books but I also set aside time for music. So the results of the experiment? My mind has been cleared, my itch to play has been satisfied and now all I can think about is when I will get/make another free moment to play again, a distraction which I don't mind...substance for a daydream to help keep me sane.

The outcome:

Needs work but for now it will do..

You can find it on youtubizzle.. I'm the one with the millions of views...
im a youtube sensation sweeping the nations... also a poet.

 

Dilemmanator

School has pushed me to the edge.. I'm on the brink of losing it! My birthday is in July, anyone feel up to buying me an early present? I think I need one of these!

you can find it here on etsy!

Freedom

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou

The free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wings

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings

with fearful trill

of the things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill for the caged bird

sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn

and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

Recent Favorites

inspiration

Inspiration comes in many forms. Sometimes it's a word, a verse, a picture or a lyric to a song.. but no matter how it comes to you It always hits you with that same familiar, incredible feeling. A feeling of hope for the future and peace about your purpose today. It came to me today in a late night conversation with someone incredibly close to my heart. The worries and challenges of life seem to buy our time and make cherished moments like these few and far between. I believe that Satan's strategy is to use our "busyness" as the ultimate distraction that keeps us so consumed and worried about the stresses of our petty circumstances that we can no longer see the beautiful  yet broken world around us. By doing so we are not only missing out on the simple, beautiful joys of life but we also disregard the incredible hurt that others are experiencing around us. To live consumed by our own situation ruins our ability to give, to help, to serve, to be fulfilled.  

When it comes to our own devices, we choose living in survival mode, spread thin and barely getting by. But God created us for so much more! We were designed to give of ourselves to others. There is no greater joy than the joy that comes with serving another person yet sometimes it seems impossible to make that happen because we are just too busy with life. My school, my chores, my job, my husband, my kids, my parents, my exercise, my facebook, my twitter, my blog... the list of "time-fillers" goes on forever. The real question is, what will be your priority? What means the most to you? My heart's desire is to live a purposeful life that is full of God's glory and fulfilled. At the end of each day I want to feel as though the Lord could look me in the eyes and say "Well done my good and faithful servant!".. So it's time to change things around a little. My hope is to bring serving to the top of my list of priorities. I want to walk away from the self centered, self concerned bubbles in my life and allow God to give me a compassionate heart like his for his people. To see the world through his eyes and not mine. My prayer is  for a changed perspective and a loving, considerate heart. 

 Heres to another late night talk that means so much more than just a talk!

You will always be one of my greatest inspirations in my life and I will always love you even more than you know! 

330

To my beloved 330 am.

How is it that you come to me so quickly?

Where do the hours go? 

If ten hours I could add to each day,

then the world around me may start to move slow.

Each day a whirlwind of here and there,

with stresses and worries all of their own.

It's here that I embrace our moments of silence

when the world is quiet and we are alone.

strawberries

our first strawberry from our topsy turvy :)

What I like about sundays

After what seemed like the longest most stressful week of the semester, I decided to put down my accounting book, turn off my computer with that looming unfinished paper in the background and have a day full of joy. I didn't think about my homework or studying all day long and it was great! Now of course I am paying for it as I try to finish this power-point and paper for my in-class presentation tomorrow morning at 10 and I still haven't quite figured out how the 3 chapters left in my accounting book will be read in time for my test at 6 pm. BUT If I could do this day all over again I wouldn't have changed a thing. I was able to spend an entire day with my parents which almost NEVER happens these day, spend some time at the fair with my best friend, her wonderful husband and my beautiful goddaughter and got to see my amazing boyfriend for the first time this week! It's days like today that make me so grateful for the many amazing people God has put into my life.

I miss these beautiful girls!! They melt my heart.

Silly face :)

"Come on dad, I wanna go over there!!"

I don't think I could love this baby any more no matter

 how hard I tried!! She's the cutest.

Haha.. same exact face!

Like father, like daughter!

ADORABLE.

She was singin'!

My mama gettin crazy on the tracks in Carlsbad.

We spent the afternoon scoping out what may be my parents new store location in carlsbad as well as the condos we may be moving into in October of this year!

A few weeks ago my dad found this path from the industrial park to the beach and was dying to show it to me so we went on a little walk... It took about five minutes to get to the beach from the industrial park they are considering, AWESOME.

Bamboo hut thing.. seriously so cool!

We're pretty pumped, obviously.

The scenery reminded us of Hawaii! SO Beautiful!

I think he likes me!! :)

I loved all of the natural flowers.

Aaannddd five minutes later, there it is!! 

On the way home we stopped at Double-Peak park in San Elijo to see the sunset. Erick took me here on our 2 year anniversary (almost a year ago, crazy!) so it was fun to go back :) This park is amazing. It's at the top of this huge hill so you get a 360 degree view of San Elijo and a perfect view of the ocean. It was a beautiful sunset! My mom took this picture of us and was really disappointed at first because it turned out so dark. But it actually turned out so cool! I looove it.