my predictions.

happy new year!
normally i'd reserve this post (the first post of the year) to talk about new year's resolutions but since my resolution this year didn't really have anything to do with music (weird, i know) we're starting 2014 with the grammys instead! the awards are just a couple weeks away, woohoo!
yep, these are my predictions of who is going to win this year.
if you haven't seen the nominees yet, you can check 'em out here.
now i'm not gonna make predictions for all 82 categories because frankly i don't care about all of the categories...so i'm only going to do the ones i like. the number in front of the category is the number on the nominee website if you care to see who else was nominated in that category.
here goes:
1. record of the year: radioactive by imagine dragons. love these fellas and they BLEW UP this year.
2. album of the year: the heist by macklemore & ryan lewis. so many singles from this album, i'm calling it right now.
3. song of the year: just give me a reason by p!nk and nate ruess. i was over p!nk and then this song came out. i feel like anyone who has been in a relationship can relate to this song.
4. best new artist: ed sheeran. i'm not sure why he's on this year instead of last year and i don't actually know that he will win but i hope so because the guy is incredible.
5. best pop solo performance: mirrors by justin timberlake. it's all part of his comeback.
6. best pop duo/group performance: blurred lines by robin thicke ft. pharrell and ti. this song was so huge i can't imagine it won't win something.
8. best pop vocal album: pure heroin by lorde. she's unique and doing her own thing, i hope she takes this category.
12. best rock performance: always alright by alabama shakes. first, she's completely captivating when she sings. second, it's from silver linings playbook and i loved that movie.
16. best alternative music album: trouble will find me by the national. this is mostly for my friend joel who used to talk about the national incessantly. years ago. before they were known. what a hipster.
22. best rap performance: thrift shop by macklemore & ryan lewis. the song is fine, i'm mostly picking this because i love thrift shopping. love it.
26. best country solo performance: mama's broken heart by miranda lambert. she's sassy.
27. best country duo/group performance: from this valley by the civil wars. i hope they win and appear on stage together because let's be honest, we all want them back together.
29. best country album: just not red by taylor swift. good album, not country.
40. best contemporary christian music album: all the people said amen (live) by matt maher. i like matt but i feel like they don't dig deep enough in the christian music realm.
59. best song written for visual media: we both know by colbie callait & gavin degraw. it's from safe haven and i'm a sucker for nicholas sparks book turned movie. i'm sure the song was great too.
81. best music video: safe and sound by capital cities. dancing through the ages. yes.
82. best music film: fading west by switchfoot. it isn't actually on the list but it should be because it was incredible. straight-up amazing.

i'm sure i missed some categories that you would have added and i'm sure you don't agree with all of my choices...so tell me your thoughts already!

xo

family love.

please excuse the fact that i'm hardcore cheesin' in this pic

over christmas my family had family photos taken because we literally don't have any pictures of my entire family despite the fact that there have been two weddings and we can coordinate our clothing without seeming too matchy-matchy.

since we were having the pictures taken on a bridge we had to get a bit creative with poses so we weren't all just standing in a line for all of them. we had the classic jumping pictures. we had mini-vignette pictures that included myself, my mom and my sister-in-law taking a selfie (awesome.)  and there were some "couples" pictures (here is where you can shed a tear for me since i'm single and i didn't get a couples pic.)

one of my favorites, though, was the picture (posted above) where we are all holding a sign that has our favorite christmas song written on it in our own handwriting. it's personal and says so much about our personalities:

mom: "mary did you know?"- she is clearly the best Christian of us all. and she loves kenny rogers.
dad: "it's christmas vacation"- we had just watched 'national lampoon's: christmas vacation' like we do every year and he sings along every time. he also drew a little tree because he had spaced his words poorly.
brother: "baby, it's cold outside"- i guess we all know where his head is. also, it's in the movie 'elf.'
sister-in-law: "12 days of christmas"- apparently she likes to count. and repetition.
me: "i celebrate the day"- relient k song, definitely some of matt thiessen's better work.
sister: "come on, ring those bells"- we used to sing this in the church i grew up in. the best part was when they gave the little kids bells to ring and they literally all stopped caring about singing and focused solely on making the most noise with their bells.
brother-in-law: "frosty the snowman"- i am guessing this is because he grew up in the south and never experienced snow?

what's your favorite christmas song?

xo
ps. if you're in nashville and need pictures taken, i highly recommend blue dahlia photography! great work, great people. and they're not even paying me to say this.

prove the poets wrong.

needtobreathe's documentary 'prove the poets wrong' released on tuesday night- it was raw and emotional and showed the not-so-pretty side of being in a band.

wrapped up in just 34 minutes:

• there was a fist fight
• a band member left
• history was traced back 20 years
• questions were asked
• few answers were given
• they laid it all out. the good, the bad, the ugly.

they didn't try to sugarcoat anything. their hearts were brazenly worn on their sleeves and they admitted that it was a bit tough to watch some the footage. they aren't perfect...they aren't trying to be. they are human.

one of my favorite parts of the documentary was when bo talked about their personal faith being the constant in their lives. in a world where everything changes (states, cities, venues, tours, band members, "salaries", celebrity) they have one thing to hold on to.

it is a great reminder for anyone in any situation. life changes, sometimes against our will (or often against our will), and there is literally only one thing we can count on; God knows, cares, and loves.

if you haven't watched the documentary yet, check it out:

seriously, i am becoming a CHAMP at posting videos 

xo 

who's gonna save us now?

who doesn't love a good documentary?
i don't even know.

i was unaware until just a couple days ago that the boys of NEEDTOBREATHE were working on one and after watching 'fading west' i am stoked to see 'prove the poets wrong.'

this post is also partially happening because i literally JUST learned how to add a video to my blog. safe to say i'm not the most technologically literate person on the planet.
i will be sure to report back on my thoughts of the documentary. you should watch it too, i'd love to hear your thoughts!

xo

j.foreman

if you counted all the times jon foreman is mentioned in this blog the amount would be ridiculous. i honestly think he's a wonderful person. i am a little afraid that if i were to meet him he couldn't live up to the image of him i have in my head. but he probably would because he's legitimately just that great.

recently jon was asked if switchfoot was a christian band and his response is just another reason added to the list of why i love the frontman:

“To be honest, this question grieves me because I feel that it represents a much bigger issue than simply a couple SF tunes. In true Socratic form, let me ask you a few questions: Does Lewis or Tolkien mention Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach’s sonata’s Christian? What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning bathrooms, or painting a sunset? There is a schism between the sacred and the secular in all of our modern minds.
The view that a pastor is more ‘Christian’ than a girls volleyball coach is flawed and heretical. The stance that a worship leader is more spiritual than a janitor is condescending and flawed. These different callings and purposes further demonstrate God’s sovereignty.
Many songs are worthy of being written. Switchfoot will write some, Keith Green, Bach, and perhaps yourself have written others. Some of these songs are about redemption, others about the sunrise, others about nothing in particular: written for the simple joy of music.
None of these songs has been born again, and to that end there is no such thing as Christian music. No. Christ didn’t come and die for my songs, he came for me. Yes. My songs are a part of my life. But judging from scripture I can only conclude that our God is much more interested in how I treat the poor and the broken and the hungry than the personal pronouns I use when I sing. I am a believer. Many of these songs talk about this belief. An obligation to say this or do that does not sound like the glorious freedom that Christ died to afford me.
I do have an obligation, however, a debt that cannot be settled by my lyrical decisions. My life will be judged by my obedience, not my ability to confine my lyrics to this box or that.
We all have a different calling; Switchfoot is trying to be obedient to who we are called to be. We’re not trying to be Audio A or U2 or POD or Bach: we’re trying to be Switchfoot. You see, a song that has the words: ‘Jesus Christ’ is no more or less ‘Christian’ than an instrumental piece. (I’ve heard lots of people say Jesus Christ and they weren’t talking about their redeemer.) You see, Jesus didn’t die for any of my tunes. So there is no hierarchy of life or songs or occupation only obedience. We have a call to take up our cross and follow. We can be sure that these roads will be different for all of us. Just as you have one body and every part has a different function, so in Christ we who are many form one body and each of us belongs to all the others. Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.” (http://ctkblog.com/2013/12/05/why-switchfoot-wont-sing-christian-songs/)

see what i mean?
so great. 

xo

sometimes i wish i lived in a snowglobe.

i work at a college that isn't exactly the most business-y place to work always. i mean, business gets done here and there are a few people (president, vp's, some professors) who wear suits everyday but for the most part it's slightly more relaxed than, say, wall street.

this type of environment has it's perks; every day at 3pm we have break (that i affectionately call "snack") where all the faculty and staff are invited to the cafe to grab a bite to eat and free beverage and take a couple minutes just to chat.
we also have a door decorating contest every year at Christmas. we are encouraged to decorate our office doors in a Christmas-theme and then they're judged and we can win prizes.
yes, i am an adult working at an academic institution and we get snack and prizes.

sometimes my job is a-okay.

obviously my door must somehow be connected to music. it just does, okay?

last year i took wham!'s song 'last christmas' and did a comic version of it on my door. it involved me giving my heart to keith harkin (from celtic thunder. don't judge), him throwing it in the trash, me crying, and then me giving my heart to adam levine (sexiest man alive, anyone?). i didn't win.

this year i took matt wertz's song 'snowglobe' and created a snowglobe on my door (i was going to make it three-dimensional but i couldn't find a big enough clear plastic bowl) that depicts my snowglobe dreams. the lyrics to the song sing, "sometimes i wish i lived in a snowglobe..." so naturally this is what i came up with: jon foreman and i riding together in a sleigh pulled by unicorns. believe it or not, i didn't win. stinkin' girl who created an entire 3D who-ville outside her door won, whatever she works for the education department, she had lots of resources. no, i'm not bitter. okay maybe a little. jon foreman in a sleigh pulled by unicorns in GENIUS.

my boss tried to comfort me, "they just don't understand your art. you'll probably make a ton of money once you're dead."

xo

the rules of christmas music.

it's december.
that means it is now appropriate to play Christmas music.
now, people. not before thanksgiving.
now, stores. not before halloween like you were trying to market to me.
now, mom. seriously, i think she randomly listens year-round.
i'm no scrooge, i love Christmas music. but i love it in december.
it's like how i can only have shamrock shakes in march...makes it that much more special. and let's be honest, singing 'silent night' in the middle of summer just doesn't have that same magical feel like it does at the Christmas eve service with only candles lighting the sanctuary and snow falling softly outside the stained glass windows. 
i'm a big fan of the classics and new originals.
the songs that you sing every year and the songs that become the ones you sing every year.
here's one of my favorite originals:

wake up december by talain rayne

merry christmas!

xo