ok. here is a confession for you. one that i honestly never thought i would say. alright. brace yourself. you ready? alright, i have become a country music fanatic. there it is, i said it. it is out in the world.
it all began last summer, when i began working with detoy. he is a country music lover through and through, and so whenever it was his turn to pick the radio station, it was either gocountry105.1 or kfrog95.1, and that's it.
i can actually pinpoint the main song that got me hooked. it was the song of last summer. it was the song that detoy was obsessed with. water by brad paisley [fantastic summer song. this is me highly recommending it].
some of the reasons why i have fallen in love with country music.
1. the songs are about life. none of this "let's go to the club and get sexed up" stuff. no. the songs are about love, mistakes, heartaches, and happiness.
2. gocountry105.1 plays the national anthem every weekday morning at 6am. can you think of a better way to start your drive to work? yeah, neither can i.
3. the music videos bring me to tears. now for those who know me, i'm sure that doesn't come as a big surprise considering i cry during the opening ceremony of the olympics, but they do. and i love that.
4. you can actually sing along to the songs. now yes, i definitely do enjoy my occasional nicki minaj, but i am not ghetto fabulous enough to keep up with her incredibly fast rapping.
5. lady antebellum, brad paisley, taylor swift, miranda lambert, blake shelton...enough said.
and speaking of music videos bringing me to tears, watch this video just a kiss by lady antebellum. it is simply beautiful. this is the type of love that i want.
and on a side note, i have exciting news. I GOT A JOB! i am going to be an official emergency room nurse. but more on that tomorrow. happy weekend everyone! and for all of you here is los angeles with me, i don't think carmageddon is going to be as bad as we thought...
oh, and one more thing. my amazing roommate kara made this video from our recent trip to yosemite! she did such a good job, i just had to share it.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
dear 16 year old me.
i recently saw this film on a friend's blog. it is titled "dear 16 year old me," and it a collection of individuals sharing what they would say to their 16 year old self. i am not going to say what the film is about, but watch it. seriously. and make sure you grab a box of tissues before you do, because it is a powerful tear jerker. anyway, i decided to use the film as an inspiration for today's post. and i decided to write a little something to the 16 year old me.
erin,
you are too serious. actually, you take life too seriously. stop it. life is meant for fun. stop living your life in fear and start having a little bit of fun. you are 16, not 26. you are not suppose to have your entire life figured out by now, so stop trying to. you have plenty of time.
i know you are trying to keep your hair long and beautiful, cut it. you look so much better with shorter hair. and it is so much healthier. and on that note, you are way too uptight about your appearance. and wearing makeup. and making sure your hair is perfectly straight. trust me, all of that will go out the window in a few short years. and it will become a rare occasion for you to wear makeup.
i know you think the struggles that you are going through right now are the end of the world, but they are not. you are going to come out on the other side, a stronger person.
you are stronger than you think you are. you aren't pushing yourself to your full potential. you actually won't start really pushing yourself until you're in your 20s. but when you do, you hit it hard. prepare yourself.
enjoy this time with your family. you are not going to see this that often when you go off to college. and i know at the time you don't mind it, but you will regret it later. i know your mom tells you this, but friends come and go, but your family is with you forever. cherish them.
you get tattoos! and more piercings. yes, i know, little miss conservative you gets tattoos, and you absolutely love them. and you end up with 8 piercings [don't worry, they are all in your ears].
it is going to take you 6 years to finish your bachelor's degree. you will transfer schools. you will change majors. you will be rejected. but the journey you go through will be absolutely worth it in the end.
i know you think you want to get married when you are 20 or 21, but guess what? you don't. you are still single at 23, and you love it. so don't freak out when you go through college and don't meet your husband, it is ok. you are enjoying your life and finding out what God's plan is for you. so it's ok.
you settle down in los angeles. i know i know, never thought that would happen did you? well, you do. and you love it. you develop a heart for this city.
you absolutely love being outside. camping. hiking. don't deny it when you get dragged on family vacations, these will become your most favorite vacation and pasttime.
you stay friends with kara. you stay best friends with her. you guys actually end up living together when you are 23. cherish her friendship, she is such a blessing to you.
you are going to teach at ucla. i am not going to tell you what, that is going to be a surprise. but just know this, you have exciting adventures in your future.
you will hit low points over your college career. i mean, really low points. you will question who you are and what you want to do with your life. but don't lose faith. keep going.
and lastly, brace yourself, you go through this time, a phase, where you question your faith. the thing that you considered you essence basically your entire life. you question it. you cry. you yell. you live in a state of confusion. but you come out the other side a stronger, more confident person. you grow to learn what it really means to have a relationship with Christ.
you will stay addicted to coffee. you will stop drinking soda. you are going to be a completely different person than you expected yourself to be. but don't worry, different in a good way.
sincerely,
23 year old self
erin,
you are too serious. actually, you take life too seriously. stop it. life is meant for fun. stop living your life in fear and start having a little bit of fun. you are 16, not 26. you are not suppose to have your entire life figured out by now, so stop trying to. you have plenty of time.
i know you are trying to keep your hair long and beautiful, cut it. you look so much better with shorter hair. and it is so much healthier. and on that note, you are way too uptight about your appearance. and wearing makeup. and making sure your hair is perfectly straight. trust me, all of that will go out the window in a few short years. and it will become a rare occasion for you to wear makeup.
i know you think the struggles that you are going through right now are the end of the world, but they are not. you are going to come out on the other side, a stronger person.
you are stronger than you think you are. you aren't pushing yourself to your full potential. you actually won't start really pushing yourself until you're in your 20s. but when you do, you hit it hard. prepare yourself.
enjoy this time with your family. you are not going to see this that often when you go off to college. and i know at the time you don't mind it, but you will regret it later. i know your mom tells you this, but friends come and go, but your family is with you forever. cherish them.
you get tattoos! and more piercings. yes, i know, little miss conservative you gets tattoos, and you absolutely love them. and you end up with 8 piercings [don't worry, they are all in your ears].
it is going to take you 6 years to finish your bachelor's degree. you will transfer schools. you will change majors. you will be rejected. but the journey you go through will be absolutely worth it in the end.
i know you think you want to get married when you are 20 or 21, but guess what? you don't. you are still single at 23, and you love it. so don't freak out when you go through college and don't meet your husband, it is ok. you are enjoying your life and finding out what God's plan is for you. so it's ok.
you settle down in los angeles. i know i know, never thought that would happen did you? well, you do. and you love it. you develop a heart for this city.
you absolutely love being outside. camping. hiking. don't deny it when you get dragged on family vacations, these will become your most favorite vacation and pasttime.
you stay friends with kara. you stay best friends with her. you guys actually end up living together when you are 23. cherish her friendship, she is such a blessing to you.
you are going to teach at ucla. i am not going to tell you what, that is going to be a surprise. but just know this, you have exciting adventures in your future.
you will hit low points over your college career. i mean, really low points. you will question who you are and what you want to do with your life. but don't lose faith. keep going.
and lastly, brace yourself, you go through this time, a phase, where you question your faith. the thing that you considered you essence basically your entire life. you question it. you cry. you yell. you live in a state of confusion. but you come out the other side a stronger, more confident person. you grow to learn what it really means to have a relationship with Christ.
you will stay addicted to coffee. you will stop drinking soda. you are going to be a completely different person than you expected yourself to be. but don't worry, different in a good way.
sincerely,
23 year old self
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
hump day.
[a vacation recap]
so, i went on vacation last week to yosemite with kara and detoy, and it was amazing. first of all, yosemite is such a magnificent place, and it was just so fun and special to get to spend 4 days there with my 2 favorite people. the weather was perfect, and all of the waterfalls were just spectacular because they had a late snow melt, which made the views even more beautiful. here is a little recap of our weekend for you...
friday
we left los angeles mid friday morning, and began driving. the drive wasn't actually that bad, and we really didn't hit a lot of traffic. we got to our campsite a little after 7pm [we stayed at a yosemite lakes, which is about 30 miles outside the valley], set up camp, made a bomb dinner of steak and corn on the cob, and enjoyed a campfire before we went to bed.
saturday
we drove up to glacier point, the views are so spectacular from up there. being there are seeing the beauty definitely reminded me of what a great, creative, and awesome God we serve. after glacier point we went down to the valley and did a hike half way up to upper yosemite falls. again, it was pure beauty.
sunday
we woke up early. i mean really early. we woke up at 1245am, and started hiking half dome at about 220am. this was the third time i had hiked it, and it was definitely the best hike yet. the hike at night is just breathtaking. the views of the stars were just spectacular. and the weather at the top was simply perfect. it was such an amazing day, there are just no other words to describe it.
monday
we spent the day simply relaxing in the valley which included a trip to the nature center!, and then we had the long drive home.
overall, spectacular trip. i came feeling rested, refreshed, and reminded of how amazing the God of the universe is.
happy wednesday everyone!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
have i told you...
that i am going on VACATION! with detoy and kara. we are going to yosemite. i am ecstatic! i am at work right now, and i feel like a kid the night before they are going to disneyland, i just want it to be morning already. i can't wait to be amongst the great outdoors, amongst the trees, and fresh air, and waterfalls, and mountains.
and i am pretty pumped about the awesome playlist that i have been putting together this evening, here is a little preview...
Honey Bee
Blake Shelton
Don't You Wanna Stay (with Kelly Clarkson)
Jason Aldean
Mean
Taylor Swift
Just Say Yes
Snow Patrol
American Honey
Lady Antebellum
You Found Me
The Fray
and many more fantastic tracks...
we are going to enjoy nature, hike half dome, and simply relax. i have a feeling it is going to be just want the doctor ordered. and i will leave you with this picture, so you can get a glimpse of what i will be amongst the next 4 days.
have a good weekend everyone!
and i am pretty pumped about the awesome playlist that i have been putting together this evening, here is a little preview...
Honey Bee
Blake Shelton
Don't You Wanna Stay (with Kelly Clarkson)
Jason Aldean
Mean
Taylor Swift
Just Say Yes
Snow Patrol
American Honey
Lady Antebellum
You Found Me
The Fray
and many more fantastic tracks...
we are going to enjoy nature, hike half dome, and simply relax. i have a feeling it is going to be just want the doctor ordered. and i will leave you with this picture, so you can get a glimpse of what i will be amongst the next 4 days.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
hump day.
these last couple of months, or even, the last couple of years, i feel that there has been a lot of growing up. the fact that i am an official nurse now is exciting, but it is scary. what do you do for a living? i am a nurse. that just sounds so grown up. even though my 24th birthday quickly approaches, sometimes i still feel like the geeky eleven year old who was so scared of rejection and what people thought of her. it is so crazy to be pushing 24 and still trying to figure out who you are, and who God created you to be. the fact is, i am still learning. every day. sometimes i feel like it is a constant battle. sometimes it feels like all i have to do is take that leap of faith, but the eleven year old inside of me is still afraid.
it makes me laugh, the fact that when i went off to college i thought i had my life together. i thought i was all grown up. but turns out, i didn't know a thing about life. and sometimes i feel like i still don't. life is a constant journey. a journey of ups, downs, and change. a journey of growing up, every day, even when you are already an adult. a journey of heartache, fears, regrets, mistakes, joys, and triumphs. life is about learning to live with your mistakes, and learning from them. life is about brushing off the cruel words the world throws at you. life is about finding out who you are, who God created you to be, and never losing sight of that.
[yosemite. summer 2010]
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
DIY: patio makeover.
i love "home makeovers" [yeah, i will call them that]. even when i was a kid, you can ask my mom, i would rearrange the furniture inside my room every other week. i loved the freshness and newness of a room that had just been redone. i absolutely cannot wait until i buy a house one day and get to paint and decorate and fix it up however i want. eeeekkkk, i get giddy just thinking about it.
anyway, for the meantime, it has been so much fun decorating and fixing up the house that kara and i moved into about 2 months ago. two sundays ago, we revamped our patio. we got some plants and candles/lanterns from ikea, some string lights from target, and a new mini bbq! it makes the patio so much more inviting, and we have definitely been spending a lot more time outside :]
anyway, for the meantime, it has been so much fun decorating and fixing up the house that kara and i moved into about 2 months ago. two sundays ago, we revamped our patio. we got some plants and candles/lanterns from ikea, some string lights from target, and a new mini bbq! it makes the patio so much more inviting, and we have definitely been spending a lot more time outside :]
Monday, July 4, 2011
july the 4th.
have i ever mentioned that 4th of july is probably my favorite holiday? i think part of the reason is the pride that brings people together. yes, people come together during the holidays for turkey and christmas trees, but they are not united with the pride of their country like they are today. and i really feel that a unifying pride is such a beautiful thing.
kara and i got to spend the day in escondido with my family. it was a good and simple day, a day that reminded me of the summer days of my childhood. i don't know if it is simply because life was simpler when i lived at my parent's house, but life just seems so much more peaceful, calm, simpler, and easier when i am there. i love the comfort that overcomes me when i walk through the door.
we got to simply relax, go to the gym, bbq, and practice handstands at cartwheels in the front yard like when we were kids. it was so good just being able to spend time with my family without worrier about the stress of life.
yessireee, i love this holiday.
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