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