"It's Always a Good Time"

Taking a cue from blogging friend Kara (Flowers of Quiet Happiness), I wanted to share some of the things that I'm grateful for in this new season of my life... 

Music. To quote the song "Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog: "They got music, it's always playin'. Start in the daytime, go all through the night..." Singing in the shower, in the car, while I'm cooking and cleaning, before I go to bed - the music makes me smile, laugh, and feel, inspiring my written stories and the story of my life. I recently bought Owl City's The Midsummer Station, and I've been listening to it a lot in the car and in my apartment. Here's one song from the CD that's just so catchy and joyful:



Writing. I'm chipping away at How a Star Falls bit by bit, and I'm having a lot of fun with the story! Certain plot elements are starting to firm up more in my mind, although I don't have a set outline or anything. Sometimes I'll work on the story during lunch at work, scribbling away in my journal...

(Please forgive the mistakes and sloppy handwriting.) I've found it really refreshing and freeing to get the words down on paper first, then type up the scenes later. I'm grateful to Lena Goldfinch for the recommendation to switch things up with my writing!

P.S. The new blog header (which I tweaked via PicMonkey) features the view from one of the lookout points at Trinidad Head, a setting in How a Star Falls. 

Food. I don't think a long explanation is necessary here. ;) I will say that when I went grocery shopping yesterday, I bought a muffin tin and some muffin mixes. I tried one this morning, and it was SO good!

I sprayed the tin with cooking spray instead of using cupcake liners, and they came out perfectly! And the triple-chocolate goodness, fresh from the oven? Oh, yeah, I'm a happy girl!

Shows. I've been watching the first few seasons of The Office, which I borrowed from a coworker. I'd seen a little of the show before, but it's even more entertaining when you actually work in an office, LOL. And I've been loving When Calls the Heart (less than $20 for the whole season via Amazon Instant Video!). I should write up a post just for this series alone - so much sweetness!

 

Books. So...I haven't entirely stopped browsing books or thinking about books, but that's not really the goal of Mission: Contentment. The goal is to foster a better attitude and to let go of the obsessiveness - something I certainly haven't mastered since I posted about it. I've picked up a few new books since then, and I've had my moments of giving in to the urge to browse and dwell on new reading opportunities instead of...well, you know, actually reading. However, I'm continuing to read The Art of Creativity by Thomas Kinkade during most of my breakfasts, which has been thought-provoking! I'm also reading a fabulous book on singleness, which I imagine you'll be hearing more about in the coming months. And I'm really excited about fellow authors' upcoming releases and other books that are on my TBR. I'm grateful for this passion for books. Through God's grace, if I can keep it in a healthy balance, it does make my job, my downtime, and my outside projects that much more enjoyable. :) I mean, it would be silly to work in publishing or be an author if I didn't appreciate books!

These are just a few of the tangible things I'm grateful for. Greater than these, of course, are God's love and presence, the hope He gives, my family, my friends and coworkers, a wonderful place to live, precious memories, and more. It's bittersweet to move into a new season of life, as there are things I miss dearly about the previous seasons. And yet, I'm so thankful for all that I've been given, and I'm excited about what this season holds. I'm happy to sing, "It's always a good time!"

What are some things you're grateful for in this season of your life, dear friends?

"Galaxies" - Trusting God in Every Step

"Dear God, I was terribly lost,

When the galaxies crossed,

And the sun went dark."

  ~ from "Galaxies" by Owl City ~ 

The song "Galaxies" by Owl City is full of emotion - both pain and joy, questions and yet determination.

Right now I'm at a place where I want and need that sort of attitude. I'm full of confusion as to what I need to do next in life. I feel "terribly lost." I was tempted to write a sad, hurting post earlier this morning about my uncertainty when it comes to finding that one next step God wants me to take...

But where is the joy and the determination? God has provided for me thus far. I'm blessed beyond measure! Do I think He's not going to guide me? Do I fear that He's leaving me in the dark?

Author MaryLu Tyndall wrote a beautiful post today about "Eternity and Provision in Every Step." In it she reminds us that God truly cares about us, and we should have deep peace knowing that God is with us at every step and that He has prepared things for us - a path, a purpose, and grace for the journey.

I can't help but wonder - when I feel neglected and uninformed and lost, is it because I'm looking at a fork in the road way up ahead? Maybe I'm expecting my next step to be one that takes me over there, when I should be focusing on what God wants me to do right here, right now.

And a few verses in the book of Hosea remind me that we don't always understand or appreciate what God is doing in our lives...

"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.... 

I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them." 

~ Hosea 11:1, 3-4 ~

I don't think any of us can know during our lives on earth just how much God does for us. Just think...

"...they knew not that I healed them."

God cradled the people of Israel, protecting them and providing for them. But they didn't recognize that God healed them, or that He acted out of love for them. 

I'm sure I'm too often guilty of the same, and how it must break God's heart. 

I still have so much to learn about trusting in the Lord, about seeking His guidance but also living for Him where I am, and recognizing His goodness to me, and resting in His plan and His timing. 

So I sing with Adam Young - 

"Oh, telescope, keep an eye on my only hope,

Lest I blink and get swept off the narrow road."

 
    "Dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far."   

(Music video from YouTube. Learn more about Owl City at the Owl City website.)

All Things Bright and Beautiful

I was introduced to Owl City my first year of college, when the song "Fireflies" was really popular and playing on the radio all the time. I fell in love with his music - the upbeat rhythms, the unique and creative lyrics, and the overall emotion and excitement of the songs.

I finally bought the latest album All Things Bright and Beautiful the other day, and even though it's a bit different than Ocean Eyes and some of his other music (as others have noted), I'm starting to get into it. However, I discovered that there's one song on the iTunes album that's not present on the Amazon MP3 album I bought - and when I heard it on YouTube, I decided I just had to buy the song from iTunes! It's called "How I Became the Sea":



Beautiful, no? And then there's this short track before the song "Galaxies":



You might recognize these words and the quoted poem from a devotional piece by Larkin Spivey that I shared several months ago. That poem is deeply moving!

Lastly, if you, too, are a fan of Owl City, have you ever heard of Sky Sailing? According to iTunes, Sky Sailing was Adam Young's project prior to Owl City. I bought that CD, An Airplane Carried Me to Bed, this past summer, and I love it!! It's quite possible that I like it better than Young's other CDs overall, mostly because of the mood and flow of the songs. Want to hear a sample?



*Sigh* Lots of great music to listen to whenever! I'm so grateful that of "All Things Bright and Beautiful" that God made, He also gave us music. What a blessing!!

(Note: Videos were found on YouTube.)

Songs About Food

Who wouldn't want to sing about food? We sing about all of the things we love, like people, places, and memories. So it's only natural to add to that list something as delicious (or not so) as food, which helps us survive. There's plenty of different types of food to choose from, so I'm sure there are quite a few songs about food out there. Here's a video I found on YouTube with a food song I like from Owl City:



I was introduced to Owl City this year at college, and I'm really liking this artist's music. Hope you enjoy the song--it's kind of a different type of music, so it may not be for everyone. But I really like it, so I hope you do, too!

Well, how about you? Do you have any fun songs about food (or songs that at least mention food) that you would like to share with us?