Optimistic.

Here is the run down on my week: It was slow. Really S L O W.
My computer died on me because my battery is shot (thank goodness for the ipad). It will work as long as it is plugged in but there is a problem when the power cord goes out too..
Next, half of our family is in San Francisco. Awesome right? Bad thing is that we could have gone too if we didn't move. Jobs ruin everything right? ;)
AND j and logan went to bon iver last night.. Without us!.. I guess I can't blame them.
I know what youre thinking.. And this is not supposed to be a 'Debbie downer post. I'm actually pretty optomisic at the moment. Today is Friday and who doesn't love Fridays? :)

Since I'm not on my computer to upload any pretty pictures here is a video of the Givers I watched today. It is so happy! I have fallen in love with them. Every song is good but my favorite this week? Go Out At Night. Enjoy! Happy a happy weekend! :)

Introducing: Givers from The Line Of Best Fit on Vimeo.

Southern.

This past Saturday we went to my cousins gorgeous plantation wedding. The wedding was up on a mountain right down the road from my grandparents house. The view from the house was breathtaking. If I'm going to be honest, living in other states in the U.S. sometimes made me want to think less of where I grew up. Now, even with its flaws, I see things from a different perspective. I love that little town I call home. I love the history, I love the charm, and I love the southern culture that will, at times, drive you insane. On Sunday we spent the day with my Mom's family. We celebrated the recent engagement of one of my other cousins along with my mom & aunt's birthdays. Our little road trip home was just what we needed. I feel refreshed and thankful.
My intent was to make this post more about what went through my mind over the weekend but every time I sat down to write nothing would come out. Maybe next time i'll be feeling more poetic & thoughtful.

Lovely.

Spending the day with Erica yesterday was such a treat.  There's nothing like sweet friends.
Today we are headed south for a wedding & to celebrate my mom's birthday. The whole family (minus ray & dan) will be at our house on Sunday to celebrate! Hooray for weekends & friends.
Until Monday.
Have a lovely weekend!

P.S. Check out this awesome write up on my friend Chris (Wilder).. I love the opening Ryan Adams quote. P.P.S. Picture #1. Erica.You may get a sign on the door too if you come visit us ;) Picture #2. I just had to show you Matthew's new haircut. Hehe.

Something.

Something I'm excited about: My friend Erica coming to visit.
She is on her way here form Richmond, VA right now! I have not seen her in months. She is staying the night with us on her way to visit our friends in Alabama.

Something I've been doing: Wasting time on the internet.
Like every other women in America, I've spent more time on Pinterest more the past few days than I have the past 3 months combined. I decided that EVERYTHING looks better & more appealing if taken with a nice camera.. It doesn't matter what it is.

Something I'm ready for: Fall.
I had a "I'm ready for fall" moment yesterday. I am now trying to remind myself to enjoy summer while it is here... (even with a heat index of 100 & humidity at 85%. Blah.) I have to get in just a few more swims before the leaves turn from green to the beautiful shades of red and yellow.

Something I'm looking forward to: A road trip.
We are going home to Alabama this weekend for my cousins wedding. I miss that place.

Something I cannot stop thinking about: Psalm 90:12
"So, teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Something I love this week: This picture.

Five.

Five Things. (Because it has been a while.)

1. Matthew asked me to give him a haircut last night. I know bad haircuts should not be a laughing matter but I couldn't help it. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. He now has a shaved head. (Which, in my opinion, looks pretty hott with anyways. And hey, I told him I didn't know what I was doing but he insisted.)
2. Today I started working on an oil painting I started in 11th grade. Yep, that was almost 7yrs ago.
3. I'm still un-employed & still not happy about it.
4. Last night I met president Obama in a dream AND listened to Bon Iver in a dream. I have had his song 'Perth' in my head all day. My dreams never fail me to be interesting.
5. I woke up to coffee & breakfast in bed this morning from Matthew. Happy 7 months to us! :)

(Here is a sneak-peak of a different painting I'm working on. Have a good Tuesday!)

Weekend.

This past weekend was packed. We had our first overnight guest & I don't think we could have had a better time. The weather was amazing & we got to spend time with good friends. Simoni, Matthew's fraternity brother/roommate in college, came to visit. We cooked dinner, explored, went to the farmers market, hung out with Simoni's beautiful sister, & road bikes with j & Logan. We wanted a second bedroom just so we could have friends come & stay. Simoni stayed for 2 nights & we already have another visitor stopping through later this week! (Plus, J is spending the night on Tuesday!) I'm so glad the room is getting used in the way we hoped it would.
Last night, as we were laying in bed, Matthew & I talked about the weekend. We couldn't get over how encouraged we feel after spending time with people we love & we could not be more thankful.
Here are just a few pictures from the weekend. I hope your weekend was just as beautiful.

When we laugh indoors the blissful tones bounce off the walls and fall to the ground. Peel the hardwood back, To let them loose from decades trapped And listen so still. -dcfc

Reminder.

Jess & I used to write these letters to each other in high school. To us, these ‘letters’ were more than notes we passed in class. I have kept everyone of them & plan on doing something with them one of these days.
I found one of these notes on my living room floor yesterday. Im not sure how it ever got there considering its from 2004 (If you do the math that is 8 years ago!?) and the rest are tucked away in a box. I guess It doesn’t matter how it oddly escaped; I’m just glad it did.
A line in the card made me laugh today when I re-read it…

“About that situation.. (which I’m not disclosing in this blog.) Do what you want. Remember earlier when you got weird? It’s best to just be cool Sarah and don’t worry.”

She goes on to quote Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Simple Man’ after this.
I’m not sure why I am even sharing this. I guess to publicly remind myself to ‘not get weird’ and to ‘be cool’ & to 'not worry' even when I seriously want to freak out about life. What she told me that day, years ago, still applies to life now… to me not having a job in particular.. & to everything.
I have to pray.. trust.. and have faith in God. His timing is perfect right?

“As for God, His ways are perfect. The word of the Lord is proven, He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock, except OUR God? It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.” Psalm 18:30-32

This weekend one of Matthew’s awesome friends from school is coming up to visit. Also, J and I decided we are going t0 the Peach Festival downtown on Saturday. Yummy. Hooray for Friday!
It’s going to be a good weekend. I just know it.

“Take your time, don’t live too fast. Troubles will come and they will pass.” -LS

Watercolors.

Our guest bedroom (or as Jess likes to call it "her room") has slowly become my craft room. I made this book a few years ago as a final project in one of my classes. The book, which contained a poem written by my friend Chris, was illustrated using watercolor paper I made. This book was my inspiration for some new projects I'm working on. I can't wait to share them soon.
(P.S. Like our gray walls? I find it funny that I usually paint with BRIGHT colors but could only decide upon a GRAY for our walls. I'll give a mini tour of our casa one day soon?!)

Playlist.

This past weekend was a success. It included new friends, trying a new restaurant, two long walks, exploring our neighborhood, discovering parks, going to the zoo, visiting another church, & watching Justin Biebers movie 'Never Say Never.'
Job searching also happened this weekend but with no further success. If I don't find a job soon I may go crazy. Life of the employed & unemployed: Already looking forward to Friday.

Something that aids the horrible job search process: Music.

I've been listening to the same playlist on my computer since move in day. The list is a little random, is a mix of old & new, and grows every few days but I thought I'd share.

1.) Adele: 21 2.) Bon Iver: Bon Iver 3.) Death Cab for Cutie: Codes and Keys 4.) Fleetfoxes: Helplessness Blues 5.) Givers: Ep 6.) Josh Garrels: Love & War & the Sea Inbetween 7.) Bethel Live: Be Lifted High 8.) Corinne Bailey Rae: The Sea 9.) a few songs by Patty Griffin, David Gray, Chris Tomlin, Mumford & Sons, Florence & the Machine, & Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros.

(You can download Josh Garrels' album for free HERE.)

Life.

Lets be honest.
We miss Texas a lot more than we thought we would.
This morning was the first day I woke up feeling completely refreshed since I've been here. (It was a glorious feeling. Being tired makes you so emotional.)
Last night Jess and I got to hang out alone for the first time in like a year (no joke). We sat outside of Whole Foods and talked for about 2 hours. I'm still amazed at how we have lived apart for so many years but understand each other better than anyone. It's a crazy thing.
Tonight we are going to hang out with some of Matthew's new work friends!? We are sincerely going to make an effort to make friends this time around. Everyone has been so kind to us here. We have been invited to do things and have gotten so many church suggestions we don't know what to do with them. As Matthew and I like to say to anything that is different from Texas/a southern cliche' "Welcome to Tennessee".
I've been reading though "The Purpose Driven LIfe." Our church read through it together when I was like in middle school but I thought I'd give it another read through. It's been really good. I've been encouraged by God's pleasure for his people. I get overwhelmed with how weak of a human I am most days & God has been sweet to remind me of who He is in the most powerfully simple ways since reading the book. Overall things are good. I'm thankful for everything this move has brought to us; whether it be friends, emotions, testing, encouragement, & uncertainty. It is all for our good.
But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; 
I say, "You are my God" My times are in Your hand. Psalm 31:14&15
(Here are a few pictures from a few night ago. Evening walks by the river with Matthew = one of the best things about living here. So beautiful.)

Job.

Today I'm back at the coffee shop job searching. The process is as bad as it was last week. I need a new trade. Job searching is a job. Prayers please? :)
On a happy note: I got the new DCFC album a few days ago. My favorite song? 'Monday Morning.' If you have not heard it yet you should go check it out.

Today is Thursday.. one more day closer to Friday.
(Did I mention we have a swing in our yard? Hooray!)

'She may be young but she only likes old things, And modern music it ain't to her taste, She loves the natural light, captured in black and white, She sees mirages of mountain ranges, Within a blink of her eyes it changes, Back to the open plain, oh no she can't explain. I cry out "Love keep your arms around me", I am a bird that's in need of grounding, I'm built to fly away, I never learned how to stay. The night is gonna fall and the vultures will surround you, And when you're lookin' in the mirror what you see is gon' astound you. But all these lines and greys refine, they are the maps of our design, Of what began on a Monday morning.-'Monday Morning' by DCFC

Alive.

Moving. The 4th. Friends. Family. Life.
Wow. It has been a while.
We were supposed to have internet starting on the 2nd but due to some silly complications with at&t we still do not have it. I guess this is a good excuse to take advantage of the local coffee shop and get out of the house. There is so much to update on I don't even know where to start! Forgive me ahead of time for this post being scattered. (nothing new.)
We moved into our house this past weekend & life has been going 100mph since then. My family came up Friday to help us move in which was quite the blessing. I'm not sure we could have done it without them. My mom, Emma, & I painted while the boys did all the heavy lifting. Now, 5days later we still have boxes to unpack but it's all coming together. It feels nice to not live out of a suitcase.
While half the weekend was filled with moving, the other half was spent just hanging out with friends and family. Our good friends Sara and Jonathan came up on Saturday to hang out in Chattanooga/celebrate the fourth of July weekend. This is the 2nd year we have spent the 4th together and I think it is officially our little tradition. We spent the day swimming at my parents hotel downtown and all went to dinner with Jess and her mom that night.
On Sunday night Jess, Logan, Matthew, and I watched fireworks from the bridge downtown. It's good having friends so close. It's amazing what a little community will do to your spirit.
I'm going to try and space photos out over a few posts but here are some I took on my phone this past weekend! Another update coming soon! (the next time I can get somewhere to use the internet.)