List One. Podcasts

It's been forever. But i've been posting on insta instead (oops!). But the first few weeks of 2018 have brought a few different goals for me (aka resolutions? goals sound a bit more official and attainable...) and one of those goals includes making lists of my favorite things. So here is goes... a few of my favorite things take one: Podcasts.

Relevant Podcast (show page here)
In 3 words: Hilarious, informative, challenging
Favorite because: it makes me laugh out loud ALL THE TIME. It also isn't just an interview which is the case with most podcasts. 
Favorite episodes:  #553 with Jennie Allen and #579 with Beth Moore

That Sounds Fun w/Annie F. Downs (find it here)
In 3 words: Enneagram (it started my obsession), faith-filled, cute
Favorite because: she has on some killer guests and she's hilarious (and she loves the enneagram and make me love it to and now i agree with her that everyone should know about it!)
Favorite episodes: #31 with John Mark Comer and #53 with Beth McCord + the Enneagram

Fun Therapy (click here)
In 3 words: Powerful, enlightening, vulnerable
Favorite because: Wow. Just go listen to it... the emotions that you'll feel over stranger's stories is amazing and life-altering
Favorite episodes: #3 with Maria Goff, #4 with Caitlin Crosby and #8 with Annie F. Downs

The Next Right Thing (go here)
In 3 words: Simple, short, sweet
Favorite because: i could listen to Emily read the telephone book (if they still make those ;) and i would still love her voice. i love how short the episodes are and that they pack an absolute punch!
Favorite episodes: #1 but seriously just go listen to them all in sequence!


 Honorable podcast episodes mentions: Single ladies -- make sure you check out Episode 3 of How to Fix a Broken Record. Parents of girls -- check out The New Activist episode with Brit Gilmore.

Honorable podcast mentions: The Red Couch Podcast (this needs a second season for sure!) and The New Activist [both of these are part of the Relevant Podcast Network]. Girls Night with Stephanie May Wilson (new to me). Hi Friend (would be on my list if they posted more regularly... either way, i still love these episodes!).

musical memories

Music has a special place in my heart. i've been playing piano since i was three and i guess it's just been woven into my life because of that. And it's not just piano! i am always on the look out for new, good music. i've noticed lately, though, that i really connect songs with memories - especially trip memories - so i thought i'd share some of these!

More Heart, Less Attack - Needtobreathe
"Be the wheels, not the track. Be the wanderer that's coming back."
This song will always remind me of driving around Portland, Oregon a few summers ago. It was the first time i'd been to the city and we listened to it time after time after time (after time) as we drove around. i love that the song starts out so chill and then builds in the bridge!

Your Love is Strong - Jon Foreman
"So why do i worry? Why do i freak out? God knows what i need. He knows what i need"
i had the incredible opportunity to go to China a few months back (something i never expected to do) and as we prepared to go to the Great Wall i knew that i wanted something special to remind myself of being in that amazing place. So i brought my ipod with me and found a spot on one of the guard towers to sit by myself and listen to this song. It's always been one of my favorites because the lyrics are so applicable and the simple melody is so beautiful, but now it will forever remind me of the Great Wall!

Busted Heart (Hold On To Me) - For King & Country
"i am the wandering son. Enough is never enough. i keep chasing the wind instead of chasing Your love"
This one reminds me of Australia. This trip was one of my favorites i've ever been on and this cd had come out a bit before i went! Needless to say it was on repeat throughout the 20+ hours of flying i did in those two weeks. i love that it's a song where the singer is singing to God. And it's catchy and reminds me of the blue 20 degree water! What's not to love!

Washed By the Water - Needtobreathe
"Even when the storm comes, i am washed by the water"
i didn't used to like Needtobreathe... shocking, i know! But this concert changed my mind! We were outside, they had just finished singing this song and started into another when it started to absolutely downpour. Like raining like no other. Almost without thinking, they transitioned back into the chorus of this song and it was absolutely unreal. Thousands of voices, in the pouring rain, singing about God washing our sins away! It's a picture i have in my mind whenever this song comes on!

march inspiration (#10)

• Ed Sheeran's album "Divide" has been on repeat all day every day! (side note: my keyboard doesn't have a divide symbol..?!?) - Galway Girl has been fueling my dreams of going to Galway one day soon!
•  It's was International Women's Day yesterday and Lululemon absolutely nailed it with this open letter to women! 
• i've been pleasantly surprised by the fact that hosting is something that i love! This article on 7 things you should do 24 hours before a party is an awesome guide to help entertaining be a little less stressful 
• Guys... i've become a candle person! This apricot basil one sold me on them and it's been burning almost non stop when i'm home 

(see list #9, list #8, list #7, list #6, list #5, list #4, list #3, list #2 and list #1)

a letter - to guys (part 2)

 

You go talk to your friends

talk to my friends

talk to me

- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, T. Swift 

To guys,

Last time we talked about the "f" word - feelings. And about how girls are generally guided more by feelings than guys (who are generally guided more by logic). This time, we're talking about girl friends. Not girlfriends... girl friends. As in, the group of girls that your girl hangs out with and shares everything with. 

As a girl, the thought of having a friend or two that i share everything with didn't seem like an odd thing. i'm definitely guilty of screenshotting a conversation that i'm having with someone and sending it to friends for their input. But i didn't think i had to feel guilty about that until i was talking with some guy friends a few months back. 

One of them (guy #1) was complaining about how another friend (guy #2) had told his girlfriend he loved her (or "dropped the L bomb" as we now affectionately say) and guy #1's girlfriend knew because of a text to a group chat (and told him) before guy #2 was able to share it in person with his friends. He was frustrated at how the girls communicated the information to each other so freely and quickly.

Guys... you have to understand: not only are we girls feelers, but we're also over-thinkers. A super intensely annoying combination. And because we're over-thinkers we look for advice and input from others. Now, hopefully this is from a close, tight-knit group of friends, otherwise that is not a super healthy situation, but either way, we reach out and talk things through. That's just how we process.*

We don't do it to undermine our relationships. We actually do it (hopefully) to strengthen them. We gather intel and wisdom and talk things through so that we know what our next step should be or what the best next step should be. So what sometimes looks like girls in a group gossiping, is actually the opposite. It's an attempt to avoid gossip and make the best choices.

Ok, i do need to clarify. i think this is actually a healthy thing - gathering opinions and talking through decisions - but obviously there is a point where this becomes destructive. i think that there are things that need to stay between the two of you in a relationships. But i think those things are clear. And i think that a girl knows where the line is (for the most part... if you're in a healthy relationship). If this is something that you're concerned about though, talk to her! Clearly, we love to talk about stuff! 

_______________

*Ladies, obviously this is a stereotype. Please don't get mad if you don't fall under this category! 

a letter - to guys (part 1)

We all know the girls that i am talking about...

they are time bombs and they are ticking

and the only question's when they'll blow up

- Mood Rings, Relient K

To guys,

First off, i don't speak for all women so don't assume that something i write here is law. The point of this letter is to explain that sometimes even girls don't get girls. Second, guys... you are confusing too but that's a topic for another time. Third, this is part one and (because girls are really confusing) i'm anticipating there will be at least a part two coming at you sometime soon.

A few weeks ago, a good guy friend called me at 10:30pm confused and deeply hurt by a girl that he thought he was in a relationship with. As he explained his side of the story i was shocked by how confusing i found her actions but also by the fact that i completely understood where she was coming from even though her actions made no sense. To clarify... i couldn't believe that she would hurt my friend like that, but i understood why it made sense in her head to do that. As i tried to explain her reasoning to my friend, i realized, not for the first time, that girls literally make no sense to guys sometimes. We say one thing, but completely mean another. We explain our side but don't really explain anything at all. Now, girls, before you get all up in arms remember i'm on your side. i'm a girl too. But man, we are terrible sometimes. 

All that to say, i thought i'd write you guys a letter. A letter that can hopefully shed a bit of insight on the female mind. And if all else fails, just listen to the song Mood Rings by Relient K and wallow in the fact that literally no guy understands us (or listen to their album "Forget And Not Slow Down" - rumor has it it's about a girl/breakup). 

Feelings.

Another close guy friend recently went through a break up. One night when we were talking he said "Wow, i really hate the 'F' word." A  little confused about what he meant, i asked him to explain, and what he meant was not the four letter word that originally popped into my head but another one... feelings. 

She broke up with him because she wasn't sure of her feelings. This was something that confused him because his were very clear. But instead of feeling anger towards her for breaking my friend's heart, i felt sympathy. 

Guys - you are generally very logical people. You think things through step by step and once you reach a step, there is another step that makes sense to take (generally speaking). Girls, on the other hand, are generally guided more by feelings. i don't know if you've ever noticed but a guy will more likely start a sentence with "i think" than with "i feel" and girls are the exact opposite. The way that God wired our brains is different and therefore our processing happens differently. 

Sometimes, in order to cause what we believe is the least amount of hurt, we girls will shy away from our feelings, cutting them off completely. When my friend's girl broke up with him because she wasn't sure of her feelings, i don't believe that she doesn't have any for him. Instead i believe the exact opposite - that she has too many feelings for him and doesn't know how to process that. So instead of taking time to figure it out together, she broke it off so that she could have space to dump the confusing feelings and figure them out solo.*

In some cases, girls choose to use our feelings, or lack-thereof, as a mask because we believe that by cutting you guys off, that will allow us space to understand what's going on in our heads. We are over-thinkers so often we overthink our feelings and mess ourselves up. Then we take that out on you poor unsuspecting gentlemen.

Feelings suck. Both for guys and for girls. But that doesn't mean that they can't be good. Guys, sometimes we just need space to figure it out. And, yes, space is scary. But believe me when i say, crazy, girl feelings are much easier to process with space.

 _________________________

*Ladies - i'm not saying it's bad that they broke up, just trying to explain for those poor guys out there where a girl might be coming from)

february inspiration (#9)

 

• i got the chance to see Relient K and Switchfoot on tour together which was basically a dream come true (Sadie Hawkins Dance and khaki pants anyone???) and i've been pumping out a playlist with both bands today
• The Letterfolk insta has me in tears, daily! Check it out!
• Immigration has been an extremely touchy subject recently here in North American. If you're looking for some discussion on it that is Godly and thoughtful, i would highly recommend this Relevant podcast episode
•  "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." - Eleanor Roosevelt
• These single Christian girl memes cracked me up!
• i used a slow cooker for the first time yesterday and this recipe for Chicken Fajitas was awesome!

(see list #8, list #7, list #6, list #5, list #4, list #3, list #2 and list #1)

january inspiration (#8)

image via

• Ellie Holcomb just released a new album and her voice blows me away! "He Will" is absolute stunning!
• "If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit" - unknown
• After last weekend (with the women's marches all across the world) i found this article - "5 Ways the Bible Supports Feminism - a great way to share a Christian perspective on feminism
• i got new rainboots today and they are inspiring me to head out, even in the rain, on adventures!
• i've been bit by the travel bug and this post has been super helpful as i make plans

(see list #7, list #6, list #5, list #4, list #3, list #2 and list #1)